The Santa Clause 2
by Song Of Hope
Summary: Kyoya's getting ready for another Christmas as Santa, only it turns out he's missed an important, ancient Clause known as the Mrs. Clause. Not only that, but Mesujishi is getting in trouble constantly and needs his support. Kyoya must leave his post to help his daughter and find a wife while dealing with the strongest force possible, his daughter's principle.


**Song Of Hope: Welcome back! This Christmas, I have a great new Santa Clause sequel! I'm sure you noticed the seeds I sowed in the last fic of this! Time for the sequel!**

 **Also I've recently been rewatching Beyblade in order to get back in touch with the series and what goes on with the characters. I'm getting a lot of energy from it and I'm definitely going to be updating Beyblade Metal Union soon! R &R**

Nighttime had fallen over the snow-covered city of New York. Two young girls, covered head to toe were climbing up the side of the school, using parkour to get to the top of the gym building. Once at the top the two of them found the skylights and managed to get it open, finding a place to secure a rope. One of them took off her hood and pulled her scarf from around her face to around her neck, showing off her wild teal hair and sky blue eyes, with two little fangs protruding from her lips.

"Well we got up here," said Mesujishi, smiling at the other girl, who pulled her hood down to show off her short brown hair and violet eyes. "Lower me down gently, okay Elizabeth? I don't wanna slam into the wall."

"Well if you do then I'll just have to pull you up," she chuckled. "Don't get caught. I heard that the last time someone did this they got expelled."

"Even she wouldn't expel the school's best Blader!" Mesujishi flexed, winking as she put her hand on her bicep. "Don't worry about me. That's why I'm going down. Someone's gotta protest, so it's better if I do it than anyone else." She stated tying the rope around her waist. "Now come on, open the window and let me in."

"Okay." Elizabeth went to go open the window, grabbing the rope. "Be careful Mes." Mesujishi picked up a belt with spray paint cans attached to it, wrappings it around her before grabbing the rope.

"I will be." She smiled and started to go down gently, swinging to hit the wall with her feet before going down a bit more until she was at the perfect height. "Alright I'm good!" She stopped descending, pulling out a spray can and starting to paint. It took a while but it was starting to form into what looked like a red crossed out circle over a musical note. Mesujishi wiped her forehead, smiling proudly at her work. "Oh yeah, this'll be great!"

"I say you have quite a bit of artistic talent." Mesujishi's face went pale as a ladder clanked next to her, with one miss Principle Song on it. Her hazel eyes were piercing right through Mesujishi, sending shivers down her spine.

"H-Hello Principle Song," said Mesujishi as loudly as she could. Elizabeth got the message and started to run off.

"I see you're here after hours Mesujishi." The principle gave her a deadpan expression. "Are you getting in some after school study lessons?"

* * *

All over the North Pole, elves were busy at work, making toys, wrapping presents, and making coal for naughty children. In the middle of all that was an eruption of wind, where a man in a red suit and a young elf boy with red hair and amber eyes were battling hard with their Beyblades.

"Go Leone!"

"Push him back Pegasis!" The two Beys battled fiercely, but ultimately, they both went right back to their owners, in a draw.

"One of these days I'll beat you Ginga," said the man in the suit, picking up Leone.

"That day isn't today Santa," said Ginga with a proud smile. "But that was still a great battle!"

"Alright," said Da Xiang as he came up behind everyone, clapping his hands, "it's time to get back to work. We have important things to do. We've only got 30 days until Christmas. There'll be plenty of time to Blade later guys. Santa," he came up to his boss, a serious look on his face, "Yuki is in the office. He found something that you'll need to see."

"Stop calling me Santa," he said with an annoyed look. "I'd rather be called Kyoya and not that."

"Well after calling my boss Santa for over 900 years, it's hard to stop," he said with a soft smile. "Now go on. Yuki said it was important. He seemed nervous."

"He's always nervous," grumbled Kyoya, heading up a seat of stairs to his office. When he entered he saw Madoka, who was holding a tray of drinks, and Yuki, who looked incredibly nervous.

"Santa," he called as he saw Kyoya, "We've got some bad bad news!"

"Don't call me Santa." He sighed, sitting down behind his desk as he grabbed a ready mug of cocoa. "What happened this time Yuki? What did you break?"

"I didn't break anything," he responded defensively. "I just," he looked back and forth, "it's gotta be a secret!"

"I guess that's my queue," said Madoka. "It seems I'm not wanted. I may as well go back to the Bey shop. I heard that battle you and Ginga had so I'm certain you two are gonna need repairs." She held her hand out expectantly. Kyoya dug into his pocket and handed her Leone, not even worried in the slightest.

"Make sure to be quick," said Kyoya.

"I will be!" Madoka smiled and walked off, humming as the door closed behind her.

"What's the problem Yuki?" Kyoya started looking at the list on his desk. "If it's serious then it needs to get addressed ASAP."

"Well I was looking at the card," said Yuki, holding out the card that was always in Santa's suit. "It's got all the information on being Santa and has some incredible transference magic, with stipulations of course."

"Yeah, like how I have to be back before sunrise in Hawaii or I loose my powers, being Santa a minimum of three years before I can retire, all that stuff." He took a sip of cocoa. "Get to the point."

"Well there's another unknown stipulation," said Yuki, pulling out a magnifying glass. "It's another Clause, called the Mrs. Clause. "

"The Mrs. Clause?" He took the card and the magnifying glass, mumbling along with what it said before his eyes widened, full of anger as he slammed down the magnifying glass. "I have to get married?! Why didn't I know about this sooner?!"

"Well you're the first Santa Claus to not be married," answered Yuki. "Most of the ones that were single left the position within the first three years once they fulfilled the minimum time requirement. This is the first time this has happened before."

"Go get Da Xiang," grumbled Kyoya. "We need to get something done about this."

"I'm already here," said Da Xiang, coming in the office and closing the door behind him. "I just received a phone call from Mesujishi's school."

"Great," growled Kyoya. "What did she do this time?"

"Spray painted the walls," said Da Xiang. "Apparently it was a stance against their principle for her zero tolerance policies and now Mesujishi's being threatened with being kicked off the school Beyblade team. She's going to have a meeting tomorrow morning with her principle, Ai and Julian. She wants you there too and said you had to be there by 9:00AM."

"How am I supposed to deal with this on both ends?" Kyoya stood up, looking over at Yuki. "How long do I have before I stop being Santa?"

"Well you have until Christmas Eve," he started counting on his fingers, "so you have 29 days."

"I have to get married by then?!" Kyoya fell back into his seat with a growl. "Great, this is perfect. I still have to get ready for Christmas, get ready for the legends meeting in twenty minutes, figure out how to get out of this Mrs. Clause, and help figure out what's making Mesujishi so upset!"

"You can't get out of the Mrs. Clause," said Yuki. "Kyoya, if you don't get married, you have to stop being Santa forever."

"That's gotta be fake," said Kyoya as he stood up before frowning down at himself. "Hold on, why are my pants loose?"

"It's the desantafication process!" Yuki looked worried, looking at the card with a magnifying glass. "In the clause it says that you can't be Santa unless you find a wife within the first 9 Christmases of being Santa. Once Christmas hits, it'll be your 10th Christmas and you won't be able to be Santa anymore."

"Is it a big deal if I stop," asked Kyoya. "I mean, there can always be another Santa, right?"

"The fact is that kids are a lot happier with you as Santa," said Da Xiang. "Due to your upbringing, you have a lot more experience being some of those kids who act out and you've completely redefined the idea of Naughty and Nice. Kids are better behaved and are healthier as a whole with you as Santa. You've done wonders for children all over the world and we need that. I don't think anyone else willing to be Santa would take to it like you did and they'd most likely go back to the old way. For example, your daughter Mesujishi would probably end up on the naughty list. Even if, there's not enough time between when you'd loose your powers and Christmas to find a new Santa. That means there wouldn't be Christmas this year. We can't even begin trying to find another Santa with you still holding the powers of Santa. We'd have to wait for you to loose you powers before we could even think about tracking down a replacement, and that would have to happen on Christmas Eve. It's not feasible. You need to stay Santa."

"I know," he sighed. "I have to get ready for the Legends Council meeting. I'll figure something out there hopefully."

* * *

In a small, cozy room, were several people. One was a woman with long light blue hair and lime green eyes, wearing a regal gown that looked like it was made from snow and ice with a wreath of flowers on her head, and a staff that looked like it was made from a golden branch that had frost on the bottom of it where it touched the floor. Another was a man with silver hair and blue eyes, wearing a long brown clock and holding a staff with an intricate clock on the top. There was also a small boy floating in the air with a pair of white angel wings, with short pink hair and purple eyes, with a bow and a quiver of arrows on his back. The last one was a heavyset tall man with short purple hair and brown eyes, dressed like a dentist with small red wings poking out of his back.

"Thank you for hosting us Kyoya," said the woman with a smile. "As we are at Santa's workshop, we follow by the host rules. No fighting, no yelling, and we all go by our names and not our titles."

"My favorite set of host rules," said the big guy. "Now that the meeting's started Sophie, I'd like to request another change to my title."

"Benkei," warned Sophie, "you know that we can't make that decision. We're missing Sandman and the Easter Bunny."

"Come on, I have a great new name," said Benkei excitedly, holding his hands out and moving them apart like he was showing it off. "The Molinator!"

"That's a terrible name," said Kyoya. "You're going to scared them off with a name like that."

"Come on Kyoya buddy," whined Benkei. "I'm a grown man, I shouldn't have to call myself the Tooth Fairy!"

"That's what you get for scaring the last one to death," said the man with a staff with an amused smile. "We all have our positions to carry. I'd rather just be Toby, but here I am as Father Time."

"Too true," said Sophie. "When you take up the mantle, you take up the name Benkei. So no, we won't change the name. That's final."

"You guys are all mean," whined Benkei.

"At least you don't have to wear a diaper," said the kid. "I miss my poncho."

"Tithi, focus," said Sophie. "We're here to talk about the world events, not complain about our duties." She looked towards Santa. "Since Christmas is coming up, do you have any updates for us Santa?"

"Well," he said as he stood up, "I'll be leaving Da Xiang at the North Pole for a while, while I go to New York. My daughter's gotten in trouble at school again, and Yuki found a new clause on my card that says I need to get married, so now I have to freaking, deal with that too."

"Goodness," said Sophie. "It sounds like a lot Kyoya. You say that you have to find a wife by Christmas? It's not going to be easy."

"I'd offer an arrow," said Tithi as he held up an arrow, "but they don't work on us. We're too magical to be affected by each other's magic."

"Well there goes that idea." Kyoya sighed, rubbing his face with his hand. "I'm loosing weight already and by Christmas Eve, if I don't find a wife then Christmas is canceled."

"You can't use the globe either," said Toby. "It only works if you really don't want to be Santa and that'd be a serious reset."

"I know!" Kyoya got up, starting to pace around. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Well the North Pole can survive without Santa for a few weeks," suggested Sophie. "I suggest helping out Mesujishi and trying to find yourself a wife while you're in New York. It has a high and very diverse population, so chances are you're more likely to find someone there than anywhere else."

"I'm going to have to," said Kyoya. "I can't abandon Mesujishi to deal with this whole Santa thing, so that's going to have to be a priority."

"I can do my best to help," said Toby as he held out his staff, creating a watch that fell into his free hand. "Here, this'll help you keep track of how much of you Santa magic you're loosing at any given time. The less you have, the less you'll be able to do. If you try to use more magic than you can, you'll speed up the process."

"I'll keep that in mind," said Kyoya and he put on the watch.

"We're counting on you Kyoya," said Sophie. "You're the person children look up to most. You revolutionized Christmas and we need you now more than ever."

* * *

"So that's the situation?" Da Xiang rubbed his chin. Kyoya, Yuki, and him were in the toy copying room, with Yuki at the panel. "Well I agree with the other Legends. I can handle things up here; I've done it before. This would not be the first time Santa has had to leave for an extended period of time."

"But what if we don't have to," suggested Yuki as he messed with the circuitry. "I tripled the RAM on the toy copier. I know it's just so we can distribute the more complex ones so it's easier to distribute toy plans since they're not very good quality, but with the increased memory, I can make a perfect replica of Kyoya!"

"No!" Da Xiang crossed his arms in front of him before throwing them out on either side. "I absolutely forbid it! It's a terrible idea! You can't copy a person. Tripling the RAM won't do anything. Kyoya's not a simple person that can just be copied down by a program."

"I also downloaded his history into the machine," said Yuki. "I have a lot of it! It'll have all of his memories. We might have to train him just a little bit but other than that we should be good." Yuki held up a remote. "If it doesn't work, then all I have to do is hit this kill switch and then you can take over Da Xiang."

"I still don't like this idea," said Da Xiang. "Too many things could go wrong."

"Well," Kyoya looked at the machine, "We can try it, but ultimately, it's Da Xiang's decision whether or not to hit the kill switch."

"Fair enough," said Yuki, handing it over to the head elf as Kyoya stepped on the belt.

"I don't like this idea," said Da Xiang. "I can handle things just fine."

"Santa's never left the North Pole this close to Christmas," said Yuki. "The elves are going to get worried. What if they find out that we might loose Kyoya as Santa?"

"You _**cannot**_ convince me no matter what," said Da Xiang.

"Then if things go south just hit the kill switch," said Kyoya as he stepped on the belt.

"Let's do this," said Yuki excitedly as he went to the control panel, typing into it. The belt started to move, bringing Kyoya into the machine. Da Xiang moved to the other side with an annoyed look on his face.

"I know this isn't going to end well." Kyoya came out on the other side, stepping off and rubbing his arm.

"That felt weird." He turned around, looking at the belt as something else came out, leaving them all screaming.

"WHERE ARE HIS CLOTHES?!"

* * *

The toy Kyoya was now wearing Kyoya's clothes. He looked exactly like Kyoya, but like he was made from a rubber mold.

"This thing is unsettling," said Kyoya. "I'm starting to think Da Xiang is right."

"Who are you calling a thing," asked the toy Kyoya. "I'm one of the greatest Bladers in the world!"

"Wow, it talks just like you," said Yuki. "I really think this could work!"

"It might," Kyoya said thoughtfully, looking at the now determined looking clone. "I'm still on the fence about it." He turned to his number 1 elf. "Da Xiang?"

"I'm still not confident in this plan," he sighed, "but as the head elf my orders come directly from you, so I'll follow your lead. I'll try and convince the elves that this is really you for the time being and that the look is only temporary."

"Good." Kyoya grabbed his coat, one that was green and black instead of red. "I'm going to be on my way. I'm taking Comet with me so that I don't risk stranding myself. First stop, Mesujishi's school."

* * *

"Alright," said Da Xiang as he spoke to all the elves, who were gathered together in the workshop, "so we have a case of magic gone wrong. We tried to increased the power of the toy copier so we didn't have to keep having so many elf injuries in the electronic toys department, but it didn't go well." He sighed, hand on his forehead in perfect acting. "Right now, Santa looks a lot like a toy and we're not sure how to fix it. Yuki and I are doing our best to fix the issue, but for now it's business as normal. Don't point out how he looks. We all know how temperamental Kyoya can get." He waved his hands. "That's all I had to say, get back to work."

* * *

Kyoya was walking into Mesujishi's school, heading towards where he knew the principle's office was, seeing Julian and Ai outside it.  
"Kyoya," said Ai with a small smile, hugging her ex husband, "you're looking good. Looks like you lost a little weight."

"Not intentionally," he replied, pulling away and giving Julian a friendly handshake. "How are things with you guys since the last time I came."

"Things are good with Bella," said Julian, "but Mesujishi's getting out of control. This time she defaced public school property."

"I heard," said Kyoya, looking at the office door. "Is she in there?"

"Yeah," said Ai with a sigh. "She says it's all a part of her public school protest against the principle." Kyoya turned back towards his ex wife, raising an eyebrow.

"What'd that crazy woman do this time?"

"Well for starters I cut down the funding for all of the school's sports teams," said Principle Song with a stoic face as she came up behind him. "I reallocated some of it to the arts programs and a lot of the sports students, such as Mesujishi, are not happy with my changes." The three adults turned around and saw her, wearing a nice yellow blouse and brown slacks. "Ai, Julian, Kyoya. It's been a while since I had all three of you gathered here for Mesujishi. The last time it was just Julian and Ai. I wonder why Mr. Tategami?"

"I'm sorry if there was a literal fire at my workplace the last time you had a meeting," Kyoya responded sarcastically, "but I have faith in Ai and Julian. I know they both care about her and could handle the situation. It seems you're the one doing a poor job."

"You always seem to have an excuse," said Principle Song, looking right past him. "Too bad it's ill prepared. Excuse me." She walked past them, up to a student who was blasting music as he walked by. "Mr. Daniels, what am I hearing?"

"Fall Out Boy," he replied, a completely blank expression on his face.

"And why am I hearing it?"

"Because I'm not using headphones and I'm using my phone speaker."

"Do you own a pair of headphones, Mr. Daniels?"

"No I don't."

"Then until you do please don't play music while going down the halls." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's disrupting the other students. We don't tolerate that here. Now go to class or I'll email your homeroom teacher."

"Yes Principle Song!" The kid pulled out his phone and turned off his music before hightailing it away from her. She smiled coldly and turned towards them. "Now, let's talk about Mesujishi."

* * *

The office was a small but personal one. There were a few motivational cat posters, some moderate decorations, as well as a bowl of candy on her desk. The family was grouped in there while Principle Song typed into her computer. Mesujishi was sitting slumped in a chair in between Julian and Ai, glaring with her arms crossed over her chest as Kyoya stood behind her. She wore a blue beanie on her head, with a blue and black sweater, black fingerless gloves and a pair of jeans. Principle Song turned around her monitor, showing them a picture of the art Mesujishi had spray-painted.

"It shows both a complete disregard for the property of others, as well as towards my authority," said Principle Song with concern. "Now, I've always believed in the idea of having a healthy amount of civil disobedience, but the keyword here is civil. This just shows a lack of care of other people. She says she's doing this on behalf of all the sports teams, and yet she decided to deface the gym, where the basketball and volleyball teams practice. Unfortunately, the kind of paint she chose wasn't once we could removed without also removing all the paint underneath it. We have to strip down the paint and then keep painting until it blends back in with the rest of the gym and that could take a while, which means that the basketball team can't practice with their season coming up."

"Well you defunded all the sports teams," Mesujishi argued, glaring at the principle. "How are we supposed to run now?"

"Mesujishi," said Principle Song, "it takes a lot of money to run a school and it was going towards the wrong places. I defunded the sports teams because there's been literal millions of dollars going into those teams, including your Beyblade team that you're supposed to be leading. I watch all your matches and you all do remarkable. The Beyblade team doesn't need that funding though, not when they're lead by someone strong like you. You don't have uniforms, all your team costs are for travel and maintenance fees. Every other program that isn't sports related has barely been scraping by. You like art Mesujishi, I've seen you paint before. Aren't you glad that the arts programs are getting better funding now?"

"Since when do you paint," asked Kyoya, a little surprised.

"And that's where I think the true issue is." She looked towards Principle Song. "Mr. Tategami, it seems as if you're barely present in your daughter's life. The only thing you ever seem to involve yourself in are her Beyblade battles, and with the Beyblade teams getting defunded she feels like what little bit of a connection she has with you is getting threatened." Mesujishi looked away from the principle, glaring to the side and crossing her arms over her chest. "I feel like all of this is just a way of her trying to get your attention. I don't want to dole out punishments, since most of these problems are caused by home issues, but the district has a zero tolerance policy on vandalism. If something like this happens again, I'll have no choice but to suspend her and take her off the Beyblading team for the rest of the school year, possibly even bar her from being on the team for the rest of her high school career."

"Now hold on," said Kyoya, "first of all I'm here plenty for my daughter! Even when I'm not with her I'm always thinking about her. Second of all, you can't just take money away from other programs for your own purposes."

"It's for the students Mr. Tategami," Principle Song said sharply, glaring at him. "I've been fighting for years for this. Better funded art programs such as painting, music, and theater have shown to improve the lives of the entire student population, while only fostering sports strengths tends to foster a detrimental competitive nature in children that harms their mental health. The arts need the money more than the sports teams. The art program has used the same art supplies for too long. They've had the same brushes, sponges, smocks, nothing new for the past five years aside from sketchbooks, paints, and clay. The sports teams all have gotten new uniforms every year, which they don't need. The art programs needs more tools in order to properly express their creativity."

"Then why is this the blankest school I've ever been in?" He made a gesture to her entire office. "Not a single decoration, no Christmas, no personal items, nothing. How is anyone supposed to foster creativity in here?"

"Kyoya, calm down," said Julian. "This is about Mesujishi, not a battle between you and Principle Song."

"I'm more than willing to answer the question." Principle Song placed her hands on the desk, standing up. "You may celebrate Christmas, and if that's the case you're incredibly blessed to live like that. However, this school is a very culturally diverse school. We live in New York City after all. There are kids from all kinds of backgrounds, and many of them don't celebrate Christmas. Rather than spending money on decorations for all the holidays out there in the wintertime, which would be incredibly expensive and take away from other important school programs, we've elected to just not decorate the school. The teachers, however, are more than allowed to spend their own personal money on decorations as long as they're not Christmas exclusive, which is actually more possible now because I also fought tooth and nail for increased pay for all the teachers, which has gotten mostly wonderful results in scores and overall behavior. This is an inclusive environment Mr. Tategami. More people exist in the world than just you."

"This is getting off topic," said Ai, holding a hand out towards her angry ex husband. "Kyoya, please, calm down. We're here for Mesujishi." Ai looked towards her daughter. "Mesujishi, you know what you did was wrong, right? Regardless of your intent, you did something that hurt other people."

"I guess," she grumbled, looking away from them all.

"Hold on," said Kyoya, "there's no guessing about it. You can protest all you want but you still defaced school property and did the opposite of help the cause that you say you're fighting for."

"I thought you were on my side here Dad," she burst out, betrayal all over her face.

"I'm not saying you don't have a right to be angry and express that anger," he replied, "but you definitely don't have a right to take from other people to make yourself feel better." She looked like she wanted to argue, but had nothing to offer, so she just slumped back into her chair, grumbling. "Promise me you're never going to do anything like this again."

"I promise," she grumbled, pulling her beanie over her face. "Can I please just go to first period math now?"

"First period," he asked, a little confused. "Shouldn't it be like second or third period right now?"

"We're piloting a new program," said Principle Song, eyes closed with an angry eyebrow twitching. "If you ever paid attention to anything going on in your daughter's life, you would know that I fought the school district to have them switch school starting times to later in the day for high school and have the elementary school students start sooner. This program started at the beginning of this year. You should have received an email about it." Kyoya glared, crossing his arms over his chest as he growled.

"I don't think you understand how full my inbox is."

"The point is," said Principle Song with a glare, "you've become too detached from Mesujishi's life, and now she's acting out like this. I'll say the same thing to you I said 9 years ago. Spend more time with your daughter. If another incident like this happens I will suspend her from the team and maybe even do something more drastic. You're all dismissed."

"Dismissed?!" Kyoya looked about ready to jumped over the desk, but Ai and Julian had him restrained.

* * *

"Wait what?!" Mesujishi was leaning over the back of the couch in the fireplace room, looking at her father in shock. "What do you mean you can't be Santa anymore?!"

"Not like I asked for it." He grumbled as he leaned against the fridge. "Apparently there was another clause that I didn't follow."

"Well that's going to be difficult," said Ai. "You were still really violent when we met. I mean you've calmed down a lot since then but you're still not exactly the most approachable person in the world."

"How did you and Dad meet," asked Mesujishi. "I've never heard this story."

"Well my dad asked me to investigate a series of incidents in Metal City as an impartial investigator for the WBBA," said Ai with a fond smile. "And it turns out-"

"This story isn't important," said Julian. "The big issue here is that you've spent the past 9 years as Santa Clause. You haven't paid taxes, you haven't voted, you've pretty much existed completely off the grid. In this day and age, it might not be possible for you to be anything other than Santa. You'd probably be put in jail for 9 years worth of tax evasion."

"I've paid the taxes I made from my winnings," he argued, "but I guess that's still a risk." He grumbled, frowning at the thought. "I'd probably be extradited back to Japan and loose my US citizenship if that did happen."

"Oh my god," said Ai with realization, "you'd be homeless if you did that!"

"I mean I could just live in one of your properties," said Kyoya, with closed eyes and a twitching eyebrow. "Like maybe the house I bought that you took in the divorce. Not like you need it when you live here anyway." Ai just laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her head.

"But then they'd have to find a new Santa," said Julian. "I don't know if they'd be able to find one by Christmas."

"Da Xiang already said they wouldn't be able to." Kyoya sighed. "I don't think I can find someone in time though. I have 29 days."

"Well I know plenty of women who are still looking for husbands," said Ai, "some even just for the purpose of taxes."

"That won't work." Kyoya pulled out the card. "The stupid thing says I have to actually like the person."

"Well there are plenty of single moms at school," said Mesujishi. "I mean, Elizabeth's mom is single." The name seemed to peak Kyoya's interest.

"Elizabeth," he asked. "Isn't she your friend from your Beyblade team?"

"Yeah," she said excitedly, a big smile on her face. "Elizabeth is my best friend! We hang out all the time and she's got a really cool Bey called Sky Columba!"

"Sky Columba?" Kyoya smiled. "Is her mom a Blader?"

"No," she sighed. "I guess that means you won't be interested."

"Nope." The door opened, and Kyoya looked towards it with interest. Suddenly, a little girl with blonde hair and violet eyes ran in, jumping into Ai's arms with a giggle.

"I won today Mom," the little girl said excitedly, bringing a smile to everyone's face. "Andromeda is really strong!"

"Hey there you little stinker," teased Kyoya, causing the little girl's face to light up as she jumped from her mother to Kyoya's arms.

"Uncle Kyoya!"

"What battle are you talking about Bella," he asked, putting her down. She giggled and pulled out her Beyblade, a Spiral Andromeda.

"We're getting ready to start our Beyblade team at school," said the girl excitedly. "Can you battle me Uncle Kyoya?!"

"I'd love to, but I've got other things to do." He smiled, stroking his chin. "Maybe we should go to the store though, get you an official Bey Pointer then."

"Ah yes," said Mesujishi sarcastically, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest, "because there's just going to be tons of women looking for an overweight graying man at the Beyblade store."

* * *

"So Kyoya," said Da Xiang as he, Yuki, and the fake Kyoya walked through the workshop, "you're really just going to be there for comfort for the other elves. You won't actually be doing anything. They work just fine on their own and really, you don't even need to be here at all."

"That's boring," he scoffed. "Anyone in this clown factory here a Blader?"

"Uh, plenty of us…" Da Xiang leaned towards Yuki, a little concerned as the toy Kyoya walked off with searching eyes. "He seems like Kyoya, but something's off."

"He should have all of Kyoya memories," said Yuki. "I grabbed all available information on him, and there was a ton, plus adding what I knew about him as part of his personality program. He's just new, consider his behavior him speed running through his behaviors in life. Think of it like a child growing up really quickly and growing as a person at an exponential rate. He's been given a learning program but it's limited towards learning Kyoya's history and applying it towards his behaviors as a person."

"That still just sounds alarmingly concerning," said Da Xiang as he watched the toy Kyoya run into Ginga. "Oh great, he found Ginga. This isn't good."

"This might be good," said Yuki excitedly. "I gave him a perfect replica of Rock Leone. He knows all of Kyoya's strongest moves!"

"I'm going to tear your Bey into pieces," Kyoya yelled out.

"Well that's an interesting way of saying let's have a fun battle," Ginga laughed. "I won't go easy on you!"

"This cannot possibly end well," said Da Xiang with a sigh. He walked over to watch the two battle, hand on his own Launcher. "Worst case scenario, and I'll have to step in myself and give Yuki the switch."

* * *

"I look like a rich prick." Kyoya came out in a three piece Louis Vuitton suit, with Julian wearing a pair of reading glasses, looking up from some work reports at the fireplace to give him a glance.

"You look just fine," he said with a roll of his eyes, looking back at the financial reports. "You know, if American companies just paid their workers more they wouldn't have so many issues."

"You definitely look better than when we first met," chuckled Ai. "And I'm not saying that because it's expensive, I'm saying that because our tailor did a good job on fitting it."

"Honestly, a nice shirt and a pair of slack would've been just fine," said Kyoya with a growl. "Not this clown suit."

"You're going on a date with someone you don't know, remember?" Ai went into her phone. "you need to leave a good impression, and with your taste in clothes it was better to let the tailor sort your outfit out for you."

"Hey, my taste in clothes was amazing!"

"Back when you had abs maybe," said Ai, not even looking up from her phone, "but you haven't had abs in nine years. I'm not letting you out of my house wearing a crop top and a torn up jacket. You're an adult now Kyoya, not an anime protagonist. Dress like one."

"Whatever," he grumbled. "Either of you got a car I can borrow?"

"What happened to yours," asked Julian, looking up from his reports over his reading glasses.

"Let's just say the reindeer didn't understand that cars move," said Kyoya. "They usually only see them parked in front of houses, and if they are moving it's at a distance."

"Well I'll just pretend I don't have that mental image," said Ai, "and tell you to take the Lamborghini. At least if you crash that it won't be totally ruined."

"Great," he complained, "first this suit, now a Lamborghini, she's gonna think I'm some rich corporate asshole."

"You sure are complaining a lot for someone who needs to stay with us and needs our help for the next month," said Julian, flipping the page. "Beggars can't be choosers."

* * *

Kyoya sat in the restaurant across from someone who looked like she was trying very hard not to shriek in excitement, which in his mind was a pretty good red flag, but instead he stayed because he didn't have a lot of other options.

"So, you're a professional Blader, huh?"

"Well yeah," he replied, "it's on my profile. And you're a Blading enthusiast?"

"Oh yes," she said excitedly. "I've seen every Bey match in every country! Well, the televised ones at least. I'm a Blader too, but I wouldn't say I'm strong or anything."

"Well what do you Blade with," he asked cautiously. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a red recolor of Rock Leone.

"I'm actually a Leone Blader," she laughed. "You've always been my favorite Blader, with your wild attitude and your strength!"

"Okay…" He cleared his throat and looked down at the menu. "Hm, salmon sounds good."

"I was thinking more of a red meat," she chuckled, looking at the menu. "Good for the heart when it gets," she looked up at him, "pumping."

It was then that Kyoya realized he was going to have to escape from the bathroom window and block her on every social media he knew of.

* * *

Kyoya knocked on Mesujishi's room.

"Hey Lioness, can I come in?"

"Yeah." He opened the door to see Mesujishi, her nightstand lamp on as she rubbed one sleepy eye. "How'd the date go?"

"She was insane and a stalker I think," said Kyoya as he came in. "Needless to say, I'm really glad that I normally live in the North Pole." He sighed at he sat down on her bed. "Man, dating is a lot harder than I remember it being. Then again the only woman I ever dated was your mom."

"How did you two meet," she asked, sitting up. "You never told me the story."

"Well, I used to be in a gang," he started, much to Mesujishi's shock.

"You, in a gang," she asked with her jaw dropping. "B-But you took me to women's shelters to feed the moms there, you donated regularly to charities! How were you in a gang?"

"Well I grew up with an abusive father," he replied. "Those places helped us get back on our feet, but it made me angry at the world and scared to let people in, because if I did then they would hurt me. So, I started a Beyblade gang called the Face Hunters. We hurt people, because if we hurt them first then they couldn't hurt us. It made me lash out at those around me. It drove away my brother, my family, left me with nothing but the strength I had gained through my anger. Instead of trying to deal with that anger properly, I hurt other people and did what I wanted to instead. But your mother, she changed that. She showed me that you could be gentle and strong. Eventually, I disbanded my gang, and started competing in Beyblade competitively for a living, with your mother's help."

"Sounds like Mom was amazing as a teen," said Mesujishi before looking down, bringing her knees up and hugging them. "So, you were pretty different as a kid then?"

"Yeah," he replied, starting to frown as he noticed her body language. "Why? Did something happen?"

"Sometimes I feel," she shook her head. "No, I know I'm different from other kids at my school. It sometimes makes me feel like I can't really connect with the people around me."

"Well, it's hard to do that when you live the way you do Lioness," he said with a smile, ruffling her hair. "You're the captain of the Beyblade team, your dad is the world champion, and your mother is the CEO of the world's largest Beyblade company." He looked up at the shelf above Mesujishi's bed and saw a snow globe. "Hey, remember this?"

"Oh, yeah," she said with a frown. "It's the globe Da Xiang gave me. He said if I ever needed you, I just had to shake it and ask for you."

"And I'd always come," he said with a smile. "It's been a while since you last used it, but now you don't need it since I'm right here."

"Yeah," she said as she turned to lay on her side, facing away from her father. "I'm pretty tired. I've got school in the morning."

"Well then I'll let you rest," he said as he pat her shoulder. "I love you Lioness."

"Love you too Dad," she said. "Good night." He turned off her lamp.

"Good night."

* * *

Kyoya was outside, helping hang up some Christmas lights in the backyard with Comet, a very small reindeer, standing behind him and watching with very judging eyes. Kyoya turned and gave the reindeer a glare.

"Hey, stop it with the judging!" He turned back to his work. "It's been years since I last did this. They're always up at the North Pole." The backdoor opened and Kyoya stepped down the ladder to see Bella excitedly running towards Comet with a candy bar.

"Hi Comet," she said excitedly, holding out the candy bar. "I brought you something."

"You know," chuckled Kyoya as he stepped down, "maybe some carrots would be better for him. Candy isn't good for animals."

"I guess you would know," said Bella as she pet Comet's muzzle. "You are Santa after all."

"What?" Kyoya's brows furrowed. "Santa?"

"Yeah." She turned towards him with a smile. "I asked Mesu about why you were gone all the time and why you had reindeer and she said it was for work. Then I asked if you were Santa and she said no but I think she's lying because she doesn't like sharing."

"Or maybe it's because I work for a toy company and happen to enjoy the company of reindeers," suggested Kyoya. "Plus when I'm not working I'm always battling and earning money through that."

"Okay." She pulled out another candy bar for Comet, who gobbled it up quickly.

* * *

Da Xiang and Yuki were walking around the town, Da Xiang frowning.

"Kyoya's started going after weaker Bladers," said Da Xiang. "He's targeting people he knows he'll win against, and not only that, but because of it things are starting to slow down. I know we're always ahead all year round, but this is worrying."

"It might just be some minor regression," said Yuki. "There's never been anything like him before. Keep an open mind about it. We still have the kill switch."

"That's true," said Da Xiang, looking around, "but let's not say it so freely. We don't want him to overhear. He's self aware, right? He might try and destroy it."

"That's true," said Yuki, "but I still don't think we need to worry. It shouldn't be hard to wait until he's not around anyone else to hit the kill switch."

"LET IT RIP!" The two heard the launching of Beys and followed it to see that the toy Kyoya was now challenging a very small and scared elf to a Bey battle.

"Kyoya I don't battle," she whimpered. "I just make teddy bears and bunnies!"

"He's challenging someone in the stuffing department?!" Da Xiang started to step forward, but Yuki held an arm out in his way.

"Hold on," said Yuki. "The toy Kyoya isn't hurting anyone yet. We can't interfere. As long as the battle ends quickly we'll be fine." The Bey was immediately knocked out of the stadium, landing nearby in the snow.

"This is getting out of hand," said Da Xiang, turning to glare at Yuki. "One more incident like this and I'm ending this experiment!"

* * *

Two security guards were running through the school halls as Mesujishi tore through the building. She managed to get outside, but ran straight into Principle Song, who looked at him with a flat expression.

"Hello Mesujishi," she said with no hint of emotion.

"Hello Principle Song," panted out Mesujishi, who knew she was screwed.

* * *

"Are Ai and Julian on their way," asked Principle Song as she and Kyoya walked up the stairs with Mesujishi behind them, pulling her beanie over her eyes like she was hiding.

"They can't make it," said Kyoya, who now had completely teal hair and was much thinner than before. "They're both at work and I said I could handle this."

"You've lost a lot of weight since we last saw each other," said Principle Song with a genuinely concerned face. "Are you alright? This weight loss isn't healthy and I've had my fair share of students with eating disorders. I'd hate to think that parents have them too."

"I'm fine," he said. "The important thing is that I got a phone call about Mesujishi again. What happened?"

"I'll show you," said Principle Hope as they got off the staircase, rounding the corner to some lockers. There was a caricature of Principle Song, glaring from the lockers and saying "No More Sport And No More Fun". Kyoya had to suppress his anger the best he could, turning towards his daughter.

"Mesujishi what the hell is this," he asked, pointing a thumb towards the mural his daughter had painted. "You promised not to do anything like this again! You broke a promise to me, your mother, everyone in that room!"

"But I didn't do the same thing again," she defended. "This paint just washes off and it's on the lockers! They can wait until after school and just wash it off!"

"So now you're bending the rules to get around them," he asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "Don't be a smart alec with me. You're grounded for two months!"

"I thought you were on my side," she cried out, feeling completely betrayed.

"I can't be on your side here," he said. "I just told you last night about how what I did hurt other people and it's like you're throwing that back in my face!"

"I'm afraid that with this severity I'd not only had to take her off the team," said the principle, "but she's going to have to be suspended from school for a week. I gave her a chance and she did the same thing again."

"Whoa whoa whoa," said Kyoya, turning around and moving his arms in a back up way. "Hold the phone there. You're not taking my kid out of school." He stepped forward, motioning towards the mural. "I'm just as angry that she did this as you but doing that isn't gonna do anything but make things worse!"

"And what's your idea," she asked, a mix of annoyed and genuinely curious. Kyoya thought for a moment before a light went off.

"She can do community service," he suggested. "Hard work pays off."

"That's," she stopped, actually thinking about the idea, "huh, that's actually not a bad idea. I'll have to convince the district to not suspend her, but I really think this could work." She turned to Mesujishi, pointing at the mural. "The first thing you're going to do is scrub the lockers spotless. You won't go home until they're done."

"B-But I have homework," she protested, "and tests, and I have plans with Elizabeth tonight, and-"

"You should've thought about that first," said Kyoya. "If your mother had been here to she this she would've reacted way worse!"

"We have a Saturday detention group that meets at 8AM tomorrow," said Principle Song. "They clean graffiti off the walls, and tomorrow we're meeting at the local LGBTQ+ center to scrape off all the slurs that local hate groups have been painting all over the building. See you both there?"

"Both of us," asked Kyoya, pointing at himself in confusion.

"Well our normal parent rep had a baby yesterday," she said, "so she's not coming in tomorrow. If you want to help your daughter then you must lead by example." She gave them both a smile. "See you both tomorrow. Have a nice day." She started to walk away, with Mesujishi quietly seething at the turn of events.

* * *

Principle Song was outside in the snow, monitoring the kids who were starting to remove some awful slurs and even Nazi symbols off of the building. A couple of people came from the basketball court that was next door, clearly not happy.

"Hey, are you in charge of the delinquents," one of them asked.

"They're not delinquents," she said with a cold glare. "They're all students, and yes, I am in charge of them. Why?"

"Last time some kids came through here they stole all of our sports equipment," another guy complained as Kyoya came up behind them with a frown.

"You and your shaved legs don't have to worry about that," she shot back. "They're all good kids. If that's your thoughts on kids who act out I shudder to think how you'd be as a parent. Now move along and try not to give yourself frostbite for the unbelievably stupid choice of wearing shorts in the middle of winter."

"Wow," said Kyoya as he moved next to her while the other guys heckled the guy in the shorts for getting insulted by a principle, "I've never seen something like that from you."

"I've been saying it all along," she said as she turned towards him, "they're good kids who made bad decisions for one reason or another that makes sense to them."

"Well, that makes sense," said Kyoya as he handed her a cup. "I didn't make the best decisions as a kid either. Here, I brought you some tea."

"Tea, not coffee," she asked with an amused look. "How did you know I hate that stuff?"

"Well when I went into your office it reeked of tea and sugar," he replied. "I got the feeling you didn't like it. You also had a bowl of candy on your desk so I assumed you had an aversion to bitter things."

"Actually the bowl of candy is for the students," she corrected with a small smile, "but if you must know I have an aversion to tannins, which is in just about any bitter thing you can find, especially wine and coffee."

"I see," he said as he took a sip of his coffee. "So then you don't like chocolate either?"

"I do," she replied, "just not dark. Most of the tannins are gone with milk and semi sweet." She took a sip and smiled. "It's sweet. Thank you for bringing it."

"No problem," he replied as he took a sip of his hot cocoa.

"Dad," said Mesujishi as she came up to him, "I can't get this stuff off the walls. The eagle is just stuck there."

"Well it's not gonna come off easily," said Kyoya. "It's paint. Paint takes time to come off, and the people who put it up maliciously are the kind of people who don't want it to come off. Just like how you didn't want it to come off the gym."

"But the lockers came off with a wash," she complained.

"Nazis and homophobes aren't as thoughtful as you," said Kyoya. "Now go on, finish washing that stuff off now."

"Right by the entrance," she asked, looking warily right where the eagle was.

"Yes," he replied firmly. "Right by the entrance. Now go. You did the wrong thing, this is your punishment." She sulked away to the entrance to scrub it off, the principle looking a little impressed.

"Nicely done Kyoya," she said with a smile as she walked to a group to supervise them.

"I don't understand how you can handle dealing with all of these students," said Kyoya as he followed her. "I can't even keep one kid under control, and I already know that my ex wife and her husband have issues with the two kids they have. How do you stand dealing with hundreds of them?"

"It's worthwhile," she said with a smile. "It may seem odd, but I've always considered all of these kids my kids, and I think about reasons why I might've acted out when I was their age. I didn't really do any serious acting out, but when I think of it from that perspective it's easier for me to talk to them and understand them." She turned towards him as she kept walking. "That's why I wanted you to come and be here with Mesujishi. When Mesujishi was in Elementary School, you were the person she was closest to in the whole world, and I honestly think she's scared of loosing you sometimes. I see you less and less often, and at this point I only see you at her Beyblade matches. So, just like I said in the office, she's acting out because now that the team has less funding, she's scared of loosing what little connection she does have to you."

"I'm always just a call away," he replied. "If she really needed me she'd call me."

"Maybe she wants you to come to her sometimes," suggested Principle Song. "You can't always expect her to initiate contact. Tell me Kyoya, when was the last time you just decided to visit her without her asking you to come?" Before Kyoya could answer, a little girl came running up to him, pulling on his pant leg. He smiled and got down on one knee so she could talk to him.

"I've been a good girl this year," she said with a smile.

"I know Kim," he said with a smile. "You've been very good."

"Kim," yelled a frantic mother, running from the park across the street and grabbing her daughter's arm. "Don't listen to strange men calling for you!"

"Hey," said Principle Song, stepping between the mother daughter pair and Kyoya, "your daughter ran over here and started talking to him first. Kyoya did nothing wrong."

"It's okay," said Kyoya as he stood up. "She's a little spitfire. Keep an eye on her. I have a feeling she has a tendency for trouble."

"Whatever," said the mother, dragging her away against the child's wishes.

"Some people make my blood boil," said Principle Song with seething eyes. "Kids I can handle, but adults that act like that make me wanna murder things. You were so good with her too and that mom was acting like you were trying to murder her child!"

"Calm down there principle," said Kyoya. "You get used to it."

"Call me Hope," said Hope as she turned towards him. "I don't need to be called principle by the parents. We're all just people trying to do what's best for the kids." She started to walk off. "You go monitor the west side, I'll take the east side." Kyoya nodded, unable to help but think on some things while he walked away.

* * *

"I need to crush them all," said toy Kyoya, who was painting a model by himself in the toy copying room, practically growling with every word. "Every opponent, everyone needs to be crushed! Destroy, destroy!" He finished the set of five different Bladers. He smiled and laughed manically to himself, placing them on the belt. "With this, I'll create the Face Hunters!" He started laughing like a crazed supervillain as the toys went through the belt, going into the machine.

* * *

"Principle Song," asked Ai in total disbelief. Kyoya and Ai were sitting in the fireplace room while the two of them talked over some hot cocoa. "You really wanna ask out that hag? I mean, you haven't spent much time with her, and most of it was dealing with Mesujishi's misbehavior. Even last Saturday, that was spent almost entirely trying to deal with her."

"I know you don't like her Ai," said Kyoya, "but she's got a good heart, and she really is looking out for the kids. Plus she's fierce and determined, and even though she didn't like me she stepped up to defend me."

"I still don't like her," said Ai with a worried frown. "You two fight an awful lot. Are you sure she's the person you want to spend the rest of your life with?"

"I don't know," he admitted, "but I want to see where it goes. She clearly cares about the students, even Mesujishi. I know I got mad about her for some of the stuff she said, but this morning she said some stuff that really rang true. Plus she doesn't back down from anything, and that's something that I can really appreciate. Heck, even if she's not a Blader, I wanna at least give her a chance."

"I don't know. What will Mesujishi think?"

"I can talk to her about it later," said Kyoya. "Besides, she's out with her friend Elizabeth right now, and she was still upset with me when I drove her home so I didn't think that then was the time to bring up asking out her principle."

"That's true," said Ai with a sigh. "So then are you going to ask her out?"

"Well I'm going to go to her house tonight and see if I can," he said, to which Ai punched his arm.

"You're an idiot," she said as he rubbed his arm. "That's just gonna make you look like a stalker! The parent of a student can't just show up at her house. You should call her and ask over the phone. That gives her a sense of control. If you do it at her house or at school it'll feel like an invasion of privacy."

"Fair point," he said as he kept rubbing his arm, "but I don't have her home phone number."

"Luckily I have her cell," said Ai with a smile as she pulled out her cell phone with Hope's contact already up. "At some point, she started calling me on her cell so that way she didn't have to hunt down a phone at school."

"Well alright," said Kyoya as he took the number, typing it into his phone and hitting call.

"Who is this," asked Hope. "If this is another student threatening me I'm calling your parents."

"No it's me Kyoya." He rubbed the back of his neck, starting to feel awkwardness overwhelm him. "Well uh, I was just wondering if maybe you wanted to grab some, uh, noodles tonight?" Ai gave him a flat look and mouthed "noodles? Really Kyoya" at him, but he waved her off with his hand.

"Noodles," repeated Hope. "If this is a prank it's not a funny one."

"No it's not," he insisted. "Maybe we can go get some ice cream or something."

"Most of the good ice cream places are closed in the winter," she said with an amused tone of voice. "Unfortunately I have plans tonight and I'm actually getting ready right now."

"I see," he said, his face falling a bit and feeling like he messed everything up. "Well, have fun on your date tonight."

"It's not a date," she said, a little too quickly. "It's just the faculty winter holiday party."

"I see."

"We're allowed to bring a guest," she said, "but unfortunately my brother can't come with me this year so I'm going solo."

"Well I could come pick you up and go with," said Kyoya. "I'm free tonight."

"What about Mesujishi," she asked. "Aren't you forgetting about her?"

"Ai's here," said Kyoya, "and trust me, I have something planned for Mesujishi."

"I see you're taking my advice," she said, the smile evident in her voice. "Alright, be here at 6:30, the party starts at 7."

"I'll be there," he said with a smirk.

"See you then." She hung up, with Ai squealing excitedly.

"Your first real date!" She gave him a tight hug. "I'm really happy for you Kyoya!"

"Now I just gotta get there," he said, hitting himself on the forehead. "I forgot to ask for her address!"

"Weren't you planning on going there anyway," asked Ai with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah but I was just gonna check the phone book first."

"Kyoya," Ai's face went deadpan, "addresses aren't in the phonebook anymore. Most people don't have phonebooks anyway and we don't have one here." She sighed. "I have her address too. Just don't tell her I gave it to you. She already doesn't like me."

* * *

Kyoya knocked on the door and saw Hope with her hair mostly down, wearing a green choker with a golden lioness charm hanging from it and a green dress with a black belt.

"Kyoya," she said with a small smile. "I'll be honest, I wasn't actually expecting you to show up. I was starting to think it was some weird prank."

"Hey, I'm a grown adult," he replied. "I don't do pranks."

"So Kyoya who doesn't do pranks," she said with an amused smile as she stepped outside, closing the door behind her, "where's your car?"

"Who said I was bringing a car," he asked, turning and letting her see the horse drawn sleigh he had come in. Hope went towards it in awe as Kyoya smiled, internally thanking Ai for letting him borrow her horses.

"They're beautiful," she said, gently stroking the muzzle of one of them. "You know, when I was a little girl I'd always wanted a horse. Not a pony, a horse. I didn't like ponies much because they were too small and I knew I wouldn't be able to ride one as an adult."

"Well you're riding in the sleigh," said Kyoya as he moved into the sleigh, grabbing the reins. "Come on, unless you want the cocoa to get cold."

"Seems a little romantic for a first date," she said with a smile as she moved to the carriage, getting in and grabbing a mug, "but that's fine with me." Kyoya made a quick wrist movement and the horses started to move. "It's like you're trying really hard to make a good impression."

"Well is it working," he joked. "In all honesty, it's more of an apology. I got angry with you after what you said. It made me feel like you thought I wasn't being a good father. What you said about me meeting her, doing things for her without her having to ask me, it got me thinking and you were right. I can't just ask Mesujishi to tell me when she needs me. I need to offer to be there for her."

"I'm glad some fathers can learn," she said, a little bitterly with a sigh. "It's an example that there's still some good in the world."

"Well, there's a lot I have to learn still," Kyoya admitted. "Just because I'm not like my dad doesn't mean I'm a perfect dad."

"What I wouldn't give to hear my father say something like that," laughed Hope.

"What did your father do," he asked.

"My father was not," she looked down and away, trying to find the right way to say it, "well both of my parents weren't the best people. As a child, and even in my early adulthood I thought my father was the sole villain, but growing up I realized my mother hurt me just as much. They claimed to have done a better job than their parents, with my mother smothering us since her father abandoned her, and my father claiming to not be as cruel because of his father, but there was the problem. They both did some awful things to us, but because they knew they didn't go as far as their parents, they seemed to think they could do no wrong as parents. Me and my sisters, we tried to talk to them about it, but they never listened." She looked up at the cloudy night sky. "It's actually the reason I became a principle. My sisters both acted out a lot because of my parents, but I was too afraid too and I was always too busy thinking of and protecting my little brother to have any time to even consider it. That's why I try to reach out to students who do act out. Sometimes it's not out of a place of spite, but out of fear, of loneliness, of depression, things like that." She smiled, looking towards him. "It makes me glad to know my words reached someone. Even if Mesujishi's issues aren't anything like mine, it's still amazing to know that I helped improve her life, because that's one less person who has to deal with the same kind of pain I went through."

"Is that why you don't like Christmas," he asked.

"Actually I love Christmas," she said with a fond smile. "Holidays were the days I knew everything would be alright. Even now, I feel a sense of security during Christmas. The presents, the meals, the candy, the eggnog, all of it. I just don't have it in schools for the same reason I mentioned earlier. It's unfair to the other students, like our Muslim students for example. They don't celebrate Christmas."

"I see," he said, looking back towards the road. "What kind of presents did you get from Santa when you were little?"

"Well I never believed in Santa," she replied, "but I did get some good presents. The only thing I really didn't get was a Beyblade. My parents hated Beyblade. I was born in a Christian family and I'm a Christian myself, but my family was convinced Beyblades were tools of the devil, you know all that mainstream church stuff. I still managed to watch every match I could get my hands on in secret, but I never had the courage to get my own. I didn't have any money of my own until I moved out, and by then it was too late to start as a Blader. I had a job, rent to pay, food to buy. I didn't have time to learn how to be a Blader, even though I'd always wanted to."

"That's sad," he said with a sad look. "Both the Beyblade and the Santa thing. How come you didn't believe in him?"

"When I was little I asked my mother if Santa was real and she told me no. I also know that Cupid, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and all that weren't real either."

"Why would she do that?"

"She was convinced that Santa was real until her teen years by her elder siblings," she explained, "and she was devastated when she found out because they were using her to relive their Christmas joy. She promised to never let that happen to any of us, but it also built a sort of… well a wall between me and my classmates. I was already different than them, and this didn't help. It got worse when we moved to Japan for bit."

"You lived in Japan," he asked, a little surprised as he glanced at her before his eyes returned to the road.

"Only for a few years as a child," she said. "My aunt married a Japanese real estate agent and they gave us a place to live when my family fell into bankruptcy."

"I see." He thought about it for a bit before switching to Japanese. "So then you speak Japanese?"

"Fluently," she replied in Japanese.

"I see," he said with a chuckle in English. "Know any other languages?"

"Russian, Greek, French, Arabic, and Esperanto," she replied with a smile. "I took a lot of language courses after learning Japanese."

"I really only know English and Japanese," said Kyoya, "and I only learned English because I had to move here to keep custody of Mesujishi since she was born in the US so she was technically a citizen."

"So then why are you still here," she asked. "From what I understand, you actually gave up custody and now you only have visitation rights."

"Well my job doesn't let me have her with me without taking her out of school and away from her friends for it," he said. "It's not fair to have her put her life on hold just to have her with me. She may not always like her mom, but with them living here she can have the normal life I never really got."

"That's very admirable of you," she said with a gentle smile. "I'm glad to see a father who loves his daughter so deeply."

* * *

Dozens of staff members were just standing around as generic holiday music played. Needless to say, it was the most boring scene Kyoya had ever laid his eyes on. It was sad to watch all these teachers, janitors, and other employees just stand there, bored out of their minds. Kyoya looked down at the watch Toby gave him. The dial read at a 7, which made Kyoya a little cautious. Hope leaned over to get a look at it.

"That watch is the only interesting thing here," she chuckled. "What kind of time are you keeping?"

"Consider it a more practical fitbit that actually works," said Kyoya. "Hold on, lemme go do something real quick." Before she could say anything, he ran off, leaving her standing alone and sighing.

"Stupid," she said to herself. "You knew this would be boring. Why didn't you just tell him you were free tomorrow?!" Suddenly, the curtains opened and Kyoya was standing on the stage in front of a Christmas tree that had a bunch of presents under it. Hope looked worried and confused, moving up to the stage. "Kyoya, what are you doing?"

"Give me a second," he said with a wink. "Hey everyone, I know this party's really dull. Seriously, I haven't had a party this dull since the Beyblade World Championship formal, and that year went down in history as the most boring formal anyone had ever attended." He started smirking. "I guess we're just gonna have to skip to the gift exchange. I know this is a holidayless winter celebration and some of you don't celebrate Christmas, but what's the winter without a few gifts to brighten the darkness at this time of year?"

"Kyoya!" He turned towards a now glaring Hope. "Those are fake presents. This set up was for a charity concert the band and choir programs held. They're getting taken down tomorrow."

"Well you're right there," he agreed. "Besides, these aren't enough presents for all of you." He motioned towards everyone. "I mean, come on, that's a pretty weak set up anyway for all of you guys to be getting a present from under this tree."

"Kyoya, what are you doing?" Hope asked, getting ready to climb up on the stage in her dress.

"No need to climb up here," said Kyoya, going to the side of the stage. "I'll just bring the gifts out here."

"Kyoya!" He disappeared stage left. Hope started pulling herself up on the stage. Before she could get all the way up, Kyoya came back out, dragging no less than five giant velvet sacks.

"Looks like I found the gifts," he said with a cocky smirk, letting them go and opening up one of the bags. "Is there a Joshua Simmons here?"

"That's me," said a man as he came up with a frown, grabbing the present that Kyoya handed him. He got the wrapping up and looked at it with astonishment before laughing with joy. "No way! This is the original Clue! I used to play this for hours with my friends as a kid." He looked around with excitement. "Who got this for me! I didn't tell anyone about this. Who knew I'd love this game?!"

"Sarah Gibbons?"

"Right here!" The woman ran up to grab her present from Kyoya, tearing off the wrapping to see a book inside. "Oh, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMBH!" She held the book to her chest. "I used to read this over and over again when I was a kid!"

"Who else wants their gifts," asked Kyoya, holding up a present. The staff started going up there excitedly, with a few going up on the stage to help hand out the gifts instead of searching for their own presents. Kyoya stepped down off the stage, right next to a very shocked Hope.

"Kyoya what the hell?" she asked, watching all the teachers and other staff open their gifts. "How did you afford all of this?" She shook her head. "No, how did you know how to get everyone all this stuff?"

"Let's just say I have a special way of knowing," he said with a smile, holding out a noticeably smaller present than most of the others. "Here, this one's for you, this time from me."

"How did you already get me a gift," she asked with a raised eyebrow as she took it from him, looking at him as she tore off the wrapping. "I didn't even really tolerate you until last week."

"Just open it," he said with a smile. She looked down at the box, everyone now having their presents and starting to read, play games, and do lots of other things while Hope stared at the box.

"But I just told you about this less than an hour ago," she uttered out quietly. "I never even told you which one I wanted…"

"I have my ways," he said with a smirk. Hope pulled out a beautiful Bey that was a mix of green and yellow. The Face Bolt was the Leoness version of the Leo Face Bolt, decorated yellow with green outlines and a yellow Energy Ring. The Fusion Wheel was the Storm Fusion Wheel, with the unique Fang Spin Track. The Performance Tip was a Wide Defense Performance Tip, creating a very powerful Defense Type Beyblade. In the box was a Launcher, a Pointer, and a pair of fingerless black gloves.

"Kyoya…" She put the Bey down and grabbed him by the sleeve of his shirt, dragging him out to the hallway before giggling like a little girl. "I'm sorry, I didn't want my coworkers to see me acting like this."

"It's fine," he said, having a little bit of a soft smile. "I'm guessing you like it?"

"I love it," she said excitedly. "How did you know I always wanted a Leoness?"

"Like I said," he replied with a smirk. "I have my ways. It's never too late to be a Blader, so I thought you would want a Bey that you've always wanted if you were going to start."

"I have to know," she said, trying not to cry from the overwhelming emotions. "How'd you do this Kyoya? How'd you get the one thing I'd always wanted, but been to afraid to get for myself? I-it's like," she started pacing around, "it's like you're in my head or something! I only told you about the Beyblade thing less than an hour ago!"

"Calm down," he laughed. "I'm not in your head. Just consider it a little Christmas magic."

"You know what,." She said as she turned towards him, pointing an accusing finger, "I'm not sure I want to know, but I know you did all of it!"

"And?"

"And what you did was amazing." She stepped back towards him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "It was selfless and amazing."

"I wouldn't say selfless," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "If I'm honest I was trying to make up for being a jerk before still."

"Consider yourself having a clean record with me," she laughed out. Looking at her genuinely happy and excited gave Kyoya a warm feeling in the pit of his stomach. He was nervous for once, about messing things up. It was the first time he'd been scared to mess up something. He was going to look at his watch, before deciding he didn't care how much his time had been cut. It meant the world to him to see her smile.

"I think I like your smile," said Kyoya. "You look even better than you already do."

"Uh," her face went from laughing to looking awkward, blushing and looking away. "You know, I'd always wanted to hear someone call me that, but," she laughed nervously, "I don't know what to do now that it's happened."

"Honestly, I don't know what else to say," he laughed, stepping a little closer.

"Maybe we…" She turned towards him, leaning forward a bit. "We don't have to say anything…"

"Maybe not." The two kept moving closer, until they met each other with a kiss.

* * *

"Attention everyone," said toy Kyoya, standing on the top floor, looking out at all the hard working elves. He wasn't wearing the Santa suit anymore, but instead was wearing a torn up sweater with a leather jacket, ripped up pants, and a Bladers belt. "We're not going to be making toys anymore!" The elves were visibly distressed, with Ginga and Madoka stepping in front of the crowd.

"We can't stop making toys," said Madoka. "That's our whole purpose here! We're elves, we love making toys and things that children play with! We put hard work and love into the things we make! We can't give that up!"

"What's going on Kyoya," asked Ginga with a frown. "You haven't been right since Thanksgiving! You've been more aggressive and angry and you've been hurting people!"

"That's because I am Kyoya Tategami," toy Kyoya declared as he held up his Bey. "I am the strongest Blader in the world and I will crush all my opponents underneath my heel! I'm the master of this place and I determine its fate! This won't be some silly pathetic toyshop anymore! Now this is my personal training ground! I'm going to crush you all like the pathetic bugs that you are!" He launched his Bey into the crowd, laughing as they all scattered so that the Bey landed on the ground, creating a big hole that was like a stadium. "Face me, face me now!"

"Enough of this, _Kyoya_!" Da Xiang ran forward, launching his Bey at Leone. "Rock Zurafa, take him on!" The two Defense Type Beys kept clashing with each other, Kyoya laughing like a maniac the entire time.

"I'll join you," said Ginga, Kenta and Yu coming up behind him to join him in the battle with their own Beys. "Elf Squad-"

"Stay back," said Da Xiang, throwing his arm between Ginga and his team. "You need to go to New York! Go get the real Kyoya!"

"The real Kyoya," repeated Kenta. "Then this one is a fake?"

"Then where's Yoyo," asked Yu.

"In New York City," said Da Xiang. "He went to see Mesujishi and stop his desantafication. I don't have much time to explain anything else. Go now, before he notices you tow are gone!" Zurafa went to a standstill in the middle of the makeshift stadium. "We have a plan in case this goes bad but he needs to know now."

"Mercury Anubius!" Yuki stepped forward and launched his Bey into the fray as well, running forward to stand next to Da Xiang as Anubius met with Rock Leone. "There must be something wrong with the learning program! That's gotta be it! I don't think Kyoya was this aggressive even in his youth!" Suddenly, it hit him. "That's it! It's trying to figure that out! There's no data on what caused Kyoya's aggression as a kid. It's a learning program; it's trying to see if it can figure that out by becoming more aggressive and mean! It's only going to get worse and worse, until he's nothing but a monster!"

"Then we have no choice," said Da Xiang as he reached into his pocket to pull out the remote. Before he could, two people who looked like teenagers with angry, mean smiles, came up behind the both of them, pinning their arms.

"You think I didn't know about your little plan," asked Kyoya. "I knew all along! I made myself some toy Face Hunters to stop you!"

"Found the remote boss," said a third one that came up, grabbing it out of Da Xiang's pocket. "Once I crush this it shouldn't do any harm to you." He gripped it tightly before it shattered in his hands.

"Oh no," said Yuki.

"Don't battle him," shouted Da Xiang as he and Yuki were dragged off. "He isn't the real Kyoya! He's just a toy copy! Don't do anything he says! The real Kyoya is coming back soon!"

"I am the only Kyoya you need to worry about!" Kyoya was still laughing like a maniac as Leone unleashed a wild tornado. "Feel my fury!"

"Ginga go," ordered Da Xiang. "Don't fight him, just go and get the real Kyoya!" Ginga growled in a mix of anger, frustration, and a feeling of helplessness, but Madoka came up to him with his jetpack.

"Go Ginga," she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek, "Go and get the real Kyoya! We'll be fine while you're gone!"

"Madoka…" He smiled and nodded, putting it on. "I'll be back as soon as I can be!"

"Get him," ordered the toy Kyoya, pointing at Ginga as several more Face Hunters started to circle him. "Get him and bring him to me!"

"I don't think so," yelled Kenta and Yu, launching their Beys to get in the way.

"You have to get through us before you can get to Gingi," said Yu.

"Go Ginga," encouraged Kenta. "We've got this!" Ginga nodded, grabbing the handles and pressing the buttons to send him up in the air, shattering the glass ceiling above as he left. One of the Face Hunters launched their Bey into the Sky, managing to hit Ginga's jetpack hard, but after the initial hit it fell back down, and Ginga made his escape.

* * *

"Come on come on!" Mesujishi and Elizabeth were snickering, holding hands as they ran up to Hope's house. They hid behind one of the snow banks created by the snow trucks, grabbing some of the snow and throwing them at the house.

"You want civil disobedience," laughed Mesujishi as she threw a snowball, "well here you go!" They saw someone moving towards the door inside, so the two girls ducked down, giggling as they heard the door open.

"It's not school hours," said Elizabeth with a giggle, "so we can't get in trouble."

"Whoever's out there," called out Kyoya, "go home. It's late."

"Wait," Mesujishi turned around, just barely peaking over the snow bank. Thankfully, it was dark enough that her father didn't see her, but that was definitely him in front of the house. "Dad? Why is he here?" He went back inside after a few moments, after which Mesujishi sank back down with a sigh.

"Is your dad dating Principle Song," asked Elizabeth in disgust. "I thought your dad was one of those anti authoritarian guys."

"What if he is dating her," asked Mesujishi, hugging her legs. "Why didn't he tell me he was dating her?"

"Oh Mes." Elizabeth placed a hand on her knee. "I'm really sorry. You didn't deserve that."

"How long as this been going on," she asked, looking up in the sky. "Why didn't he bother telling me? I knew that my parents weren't getting back together, but I thought he had more taste than that!"

"Sometimes adults are just stupid," said Elizabeth, leaning against Mesujishi. "Talk to him. If he won't listen, then make him," she turned and smiled towards Mesujishi, "just like I showed you how to listen to your heart. Go home and challenge him. Maybe then he'll listen."

* * *

Hope was laying on the couch, smiling up at Kyoya as she laid on her back.

"Did you see who it was," she asked with an amused smile.

"Not by a long shot," he replied, slumping into an armrest and grabbing a cookie off a plate. "It's pretty dark out there."

"Probably some students," she said with a shrug. "I'd rather them take their aggression out with snowballs on my house than paint on my gym walls."

"Very funny," he laughed, before sighing. "Hope, I need to be honest with you."

"About what?" Se frowned, turning towards him. It sounds serious.

"Remember when Mesujishi was in Elementary School," he asked, to which she nodded. "We got in a fight during class and she left the room crying because I told her to stop pretending I was Santa Claus?"

"I remember," she said as she moved to sit up. "Where is this going?"

"She was right," he finally said. "I was, and am, Santa Claus. On Christmas Eve, Santa fell off our roof, and when I put on his coat, I took on the mantle."

"Nice joke Kyoya," she said with an awkward chuckle. "Now what did you really want to tell me?"

"That was it," he replied. "Being Santa gives me real magic, and the ability to do things that I could never do as just Kyoya. I know what people want, what they need. I know how to help people. I can see the good in every kid. It's harder to do that with adults, but if I try hard enough I can do that too."

"Kyoya this isn't funny."

"I'm not trying to be," he said as he stood up. "I wanted to tell you because I wanted to be honest with you. You've made me feel something that I haven't felt for someone in well over a decade."

"Then why are you making fun of me," she asked with a glare, standing up. "I tell you that I never believed in Santa, and then you do this? You make fun of me? I told you how knowing the truth hurt me so much as a kid, and instead you just decide to do the same thing to me again?" She started shaking her hand, her hands on her temples as she walked towards the door. "I can't believe I thought for even a moment, you're just like everyone else! I thought that what we had was something real, but then this happens!" She grabbed Kyoya coat, holding it out to him. "Get out of my house. Right now."

"Hope, I-"

"Go!" She opened the door, pointing outside. "Don't let the cats get out." He knew he wasn't going to get her to listen. He grabbed his coat and left, hearing the door slam behind him. He could hear her start to cry behind the door, but felt like he couldn't do anything. With a sigh he put on his coat and left.

On the other side of the door, Hope was crying, slumped against the door as she slid down to the floor. She started hugging her knees, crying into them.

* * *

Kyoya walked into the mansion, seeing Mesujishi glare at him.

"Lioness, shouldn't you-"

"Battle me Dad," she demanded, holding out her blue and white Bey. "I demand a battle with you!"

"Now's not the time Lioness," said Kyoya, starting to take off his coat. "Tonight was-"

"Now," she demanded, fire in her eyes as she glared at her father. "We need to battle right now!" With the look in her eyes, Kyoya realized that Mesujishi had something she needed to tell him. He couldn't help but smile. Conversation through Beyblade was the way he'd always talked with other people.

"Alright," he said as he held out his own Bey, "but you're not going to beat me easily. I may be tied in the magical world, but in the human world I'm still the world's number one Blader!"

* * *

The two were outside, standing across from each other in a stadium lit up with stadium lights.

"3-!" Mesujishi gave her father a fierce glare.

"2-!" Kyoya wouldn't back down no matter what.

"1-!" Mesujishi would win, no matter the cost.

"LET IT RIP!" They both launched their Beys, the tops starting to circle in the stadium.

"Go Leone," shouted Kyoya. Leone turned and rammed directly into Cyclone Leone, pushing the Bey back.

"So for once you start it off," she said with spite. "No matter, me and Leone won't back down!" She threw her arm out as her Bey pushed back.

"I never should've put it on your to keep our relationship," said Kyoya as his Leone moved away from the fray so Kyoya could get a better grip on what power his daughter had. This was the first time they'd ever fought each other, which was a whole different animal than just watching her battle much weaker opponents than him. "I'm your father, I should offer myself, and that's on me."

"That isn't even the issue," she yelled, her Leone chasing his. "I mean, that's an issue and thank you, but that's not even the big picture! Leone!" Leone caught up with her father's Bey, crashing hard into it and sending the Bey flying up into the air.

"Then what's the issue," asked Kyoya, starting to get angry. "How can I help you if you don't tell me anything?!"

"How can I tell you if you don't ask," she screamed, tearing up. "You don't look, you don't pay attention, you don't do anything! You and Mom both, you didn't even realize that I'm… I…" She looked away. "You didn't realize I'm not the normal little girl you think I am, and now it feels like that's one more thing on the secret pile this family is creating."

"The secret pile," repeated Kyoya.

"I have so many secrets I have to keep," she said, clutching her beanie and yanking it down on either side of her head to stretch it to show her frustration. "I can't tell anyone about you. I can't tell my friends, other people in my family, not even Bella! I can't tell anyone about who I really am! And on top of that, you guys don't even really know me anymore, and sometimes I wonder if you ever did!"

"If you don't think we know you then give me a chance to get to know you," Kyoya shot back as Leone landed back in the stadium, slamming right into Mesujishi's Cyclone Leone. "I don't care what your interests are, or anything like that. I'd still listen to you about the things you enjoy because they make you happy. You're my daughter and no matter what-"

"I'M A LESBIAN," she shouted, her Bey erupting with a mix of wind and clouds as tears streamed down her face. "Elizabeth isn't my best friend, she's my girlfriend! We're not friends, we're dating!"

"Lion-"

"And on top of me having that on my chest," she said, cutting him off as she clutched her shirt right over her chest, "you've been keeping secrets from me too! You've been seeing my principle and you didn't bother telling me! You don't just randomly start hanging out with someone you've disliked for years!" She slouched a bit looking down before looking back up at him in betrayal as the cyclone she'd created died down. "It's one thing for me. That was a huge, important thing about me, but this? It's just more secrets, and I'm getting tired of all these big secrets, one after another! It's hard enough to keep them myself, but learning that you're keeping secrets from me? Why Dad? What you did will affect me for the rest of my life. Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you trust me?" Before he could respond, Mesujishi held out her hand and took her Bey, running off. "I'm done talking!"

"Lioness!" He started to run after her, but Ginga landed in front of him, his jetpack sparking up like crazy.

"Kyoya," Ginga exclaimed, running towards him. "We've got big trouble!"

* * *

Mesujishi ran into her room, only to see Bella sitting on the bed cross-legged. Mesujishi wiped her eyes, staring at her half sister.

"What do you want Bella Himeko," she asked.

"Am I in trouble," asked Bella. "I thought you said I could wait for you in your room if all I did was sit on your bed."

"No," sighed out Mesujishi as she sat down next to her sister. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to borrow one of your beanies cause I lost my earmuffs and my ears are cold," said Bella, "but you're crying. What happened?"

"Just stuff with my dad." Mesujishi moved so her back was against the wall so that she could bring her knees up and hug them. "He was keeping a pretty big secret from me and it really hurt to learn about it."

"But you didn't tell Mom and Dad or Uncle Kyoya about Elizabeth," said Bella. "Isn't that hippopatimal?"

"Hypocritical," she corrected. "And maybe, but I didn't take it upon myself to keep it from them. I had every intention of telling them, but it just, it never felt right."

"Maybe Uncle Kyoya was going to tell you too," suggested Bella, playing with a loose tooth with her tongue. "These teeth are annoying. I want it to fall so I can get my quarter!"

"He should've told me when it first happened," Mesujishi argued, her hands flaying around in frustration. "I mean, he's my father and he's dating my principle! I don't get why he didn't just tell me!"

"Did you ask him why?"

"Of course I did," Mesujishi shot back.

"Huh." Bella looked stumped. "Well then I don't know why you don't know. If you asked him you should know."

"Well…" Mesujishi looked away, "I didn't wait for an answer…"

"You're weird Mesu," said Bella.

* * *

"Slow down," said Kyoya, now in the dining room with Ginga, who had a cup of cocoa in front of him. "You're talking faster than a jet Ginga."

"Da Xiang and Yuki were kidnapped by the fake Santa," said Ginga. "We were told to stop making toys and now everyone's being used as canon fodder to help Leone grow stronger. We tried to stop him but then he used a bunch of fake toy people that he called his Face Hunters to stop us. Da Xiang didn't give me many details on how the toy you came to be, there wasn't time, but he said that you were in New York City so I came here. Why was there a fake Kyoya?"

"I'm loosing my Santa magic," said Kyoya, looking at his watch as Mesujishi got ready to walk into the dining room before stopping and hiding behind the doorway, listening. "I think at this point I'm not going to be able to be Santa anymore. I'm almost out of magic, and I definitely don't have enough left to get us there."

"Wait, how could you loose your magic," asked Ginga. "You didn't give up being Santa, did you?"

"No!" Kyoya looked ready to yell at Ginga, but he took in a deep breath. "Apparently we missed a clause called the Mrs. Clause and I had to get married. I thought it was stupid but I didn't want to stop being Santa. Yuki came up with a scheme to have a copy of me there while I was here so that things could run smoothly."

"So then did you find anyone," asked Ginga with a frown. "We need you back at the North Pole."

"I did," said Kyoya a little bitterly, "but she thinks I'm crazy. I told her about the Santa thing and she threw me out of her house." He laughed to himself. "I probably would've done the same ten years ago. Even if she didn't though, I don't think I could marry her." Mesujishi froze, confusion all over her face. "Mesujishi hates her, and I won't marry someone who'll make her miserable." Mesujishi gave a small gasp at that. "If I have to choose between being Santa and my daughter's happiness, I'll always choose her. We'll figure something out up at the North Pole until we find a Santa for next year. Hell, I could probably convince Benkei to put on a white beard. He looks more like Santa now than I ever did. This isn't worth hurting my daughter." Mesujishi's eyes were hidden by her bangs as she ran off.

"But we need you," said Ginga. "We've only got four more days until Christmas and the fake Kyoya's put everything to a stop!" Ginga clenched his mug of cocoa, staring into it. "He's been making everyone miserable at the North Pole, forcing weaker opponents into battles and trying to get stronger so that he can get stronger. He declared he wouldn't let anyone do anymore work and that everyone was his opponent now to crush under his heel. Everyone there is in real, serious danger. He needs to be stopped!" He looked up at Kyoya. "I left my squad behind to come and get you. Even if you aren't going to be Santa anymore, we need you to save us. Only you would ever be able to defeat the fake Santa. Magic or no magic, you're still Kyoya Tategami. I can't defeat him, I've only ever tied with you and he's just as powerful of a Blader as you are. We need to go back tonight and save everyone."

"I don't have enough magic to get us there," said Kyoya. "I'm almost completely out."

"And my jetpack got damaged when I tried to escape," said Ginga with a sigh, looking up at his leader. "Kyoya, what are we gonna do? Madoka, Kenta, Yu, Yuki, Da Xiang, everyone is still up at the North Pole and we need to save them." Suddenly, his face lit up with an idea. "Kyoya, how did you get here?"

"You mean from the North Pole," asked Kyoya. "I got here on… Comet…" His expression changed, realizing where Ginga was going with the idea, putting a hand on the table and standing up. "He's in the back!" The two ran outside to the stables where Ai kept her animals, only to notice a trail of candy wrappers. Kyoya groaned, hand on his forehead. "Bell, I'm gonna kill her." The two went to the stall Comet was in, only to see that he was incredibly overweight and unable to get up. "Comet, did you eat all the candy Bella gave you?" Comet looked up at him with a sheepish smile. "I'm gonna cook you."

"We can't get back on him," said Ginga. "What about Ai and Julian? They're rich, they've gotta have a way to get there!"

* * *

"My private jet?" Ai and Julian look at each other while in their pajamas before turning towards Kyoya and Ginga. "Kyoya, it's not that easy," Ai tried to explain, arms crossed over her chest with uncertainty. "Jets and planes both, they take hours to prepare. Not only that, but my jet is in Milan right now. It'd take hours to get here alone, let alone take you as far as the North Pole."

"Mine's in Rome," said Julian. "Not only that, but it's actually not running right now."

"Don't you have other private jets," asked Ginga. "You guys are both filthy rich!"

"We try to use our money responsibly," Ai said, clearly offended by Ginga's behavior. "We may be rich but we're also avid charity supporters and we're trying to not spoil our children." She held out a hand. "Not to mention it's impractical too. It would need a proper landing strip, and as far as I'm aware, there's nowhere at the North Pole that fits the bill, or at least nothing close enough."

"Well I don't have wings," growled Kyoya. "How the hell am I supposed to get there?" Suddenly, it hit him. "Hey, is Bella starting to loose her teeth?"

* * *

"Dad, why am I doing this?" Julian was on his knees next to his daughter, with a piece of string tied around her loose tooth and the other end tied around a door that Ai was ready to shut. Kyoya and Ginga stood on the other side of the door, waiting for the tooth.

"Well you said you wanted it out," said Julian, "so it's coming out."

"Who's that kid?" She pointed at Ginga with a frown.

"I'm not a kid," he replied. "I'm older than you."

"Are you an elf," she asked with a tilt of her head. "You have pointy ears."

"It's because he doesn't eat his vegetables," joked Kyoya. "All this guy eats are burgers."

"That's not why my ears are pointy," he replied with indignation.

"Well then," before Bella could finish, Ai slammed the door shut, yanking the tooth out. "Ow! That hurt Mom!"

"Well," she said as she opened the door so Kyoya and Ginga could get in, "we got the tooth. Go put it under your pillow and get some sleep. You should've been in bed a long time ago anyway."

"But you came and woke me up!"

* * *

Bella slept soundly on a canopy style bed with the window slightly open. A small, red light flew in through the window, the light growing and turning into Benkei, who started reaching under the pillow. Behind him, Kyoya grabbed one of his wings, Ginga coming out from the closet on the other side. Benkei's face scrunched up, knowing he'd been captured.

"Come on buddy," whispered Kyoya, gently walking backwards. "Ginga, get the door behind you." The trio left the room, Ginga closing the door behind them. Kyoya and Ginga walked away a few feet from the room, with Benkei turning to glare at him.

"If you want my money, I don't even have $20," he said. "I have things to do tonight!"

"Benkei it's me," said Kyoya. "Kyoya, Santa Claus."

"Santa?" He let out a hearty laugh. "You, Santa Claus? I know Santa, we're good friends!"

"Then how do I know that your real name is Benkei Hanawa," asked Kyoya. "You accidentally killed the Tooth Fairy and when you picked up his tooth brush you became the Tooth Fairy."

"I didn't kill her," said Benkei indignantly. "I accidentally stepped on her! How was I supposed to know that wasn't a bug?!" He stopped. "Wait a minute, how do you know that?"

"Because I'm Kyoya," he replied. "At the last meeting, you also wanted to change your name again, this time to the Molinator and we all decided it was awful."

"Kyoya buddy!" Benkei hugged him tightly, squeezing the air out of him.

"Whoa," said Ginga, yanking on Benkei's arm, "don't kill Santa!"

"Why are you still here," asked Benkei as he dropped Kyoya. "I thought you were finding a wife."

"I don't think that's happening," said Kyoya, "but that doesn't matter anymore. Long story short, I can't get to the North Pole right now and defeat an evil toy army run by my evil toy clone. Can you give me a ride?"

"At your service," Benkei declared, saluting Kyoya like they were in the military.

* * *

Hope opened the door a little bit before dawn to get her morning newspaper, only to see that Mesujishi had fallen asleep on her porch, covered in snow.

"Oh my god!" Mesujishi's eyes opened, and she looked up at her principle in nothing but a yellow robe with a cup of tea.

"Hello Principle Song."

"What on Earth were you doing on my porch," asked Hope, with incredibly worried eyes. They were sitting in her small dining room made to seat four, Mesujishi now wearing a set of yellow pajamas with blue flowers, with a blanket around her and holding a cup of tea. "Did something happen at home?"

"It did," she said with a sigh, staring at her tea. "I got in a fight with my dad."

"I can't say I'm surprised," said Hope. "What happened between you two?"

"It was actually over you," said Mesujishi, looking at her principle. "My dad, he didn't tell me that he was seeing you and it really bothered me. I was really angry and I picked a fight with him over it. But that's not why I'm here."

"Why are you here Mesujishi," asked Hope. "It's winter break, you should be with your family. Christmas is in three days."

"Because when I got in a fight with my dad I never really told him why I didn't like you," said Mesujishi. "It's not," she looked down, "it's not because I think you're a bad person. I'm sorry if I made you feel that way. I just really didn't want the sports programs cut. I needed my dad to keep coming to my matches, because… that was the one time he just came on his own without me asking him to come se me."

"I'm sorry that it's been so hard on you," said Hope with a small frown, rubbing Mesujishi's back, "but why did you come here?"

"Because I want you to understand my dad," she replied, looking up at her principle. "My dad told me he told you his secret, and I want you to know it's all true."

"Mesuji-"

"Just listen," said Mesujishi, getting up and going to where the bathroom was, reaching into her coat pocket and grabbing her magic snow globe. She came back out with it, Hope now standing and looking incredibly worried. "I know it's really hard to believe in magic, but I need you too, please. My dad's ready to give up everything for me, and as much as I want him to have more time with me, I don't want him to go that far."

"It's not that simple," said Hope. "Kyoya and I, I don't think we can just be together. He's convinced he's Santa Claus. I've known my whole life Santa isn't real. I told him that and he made fun of me by acting like he was."

"But he is," Mesujishi insisted. "He wasn't always, but he is now. And he needs to stay Santa. I want you to try and remember when you were a kid, and you looked for magic, and wonder, and joy in everything." She started shaking the snow globe, handing it to her. "You can find that again." Hope frowned, but took the snow globe and looked at the falling snow, which seemed to grow in number. Her face changed to amazement as the snow cleared, and she saw that there was a small village in there, with people moving around in there.

"It's… real…" She looked in amazement before noticing a tornado that appeared in the middle of the snow globe. She tried to peer in more, but had a hard time seeing anything. "Hold on, what's that?" Mesujishi frowned, looking inside the globe and noticing the toy Santa, and realizing that there was a crying elf in front of him.

"Something's wrong." She looked up at her principle. "My dad needs help."

* * *

A small red light flew into Santa's study, growing into Benkei, Kyoya, and Ginga.

"God that was nauseating," said Ginga as he stumbled around, trying to find his footing.

"Thanks for that," said Kyoya. "Go let the other Legends know. Worst case scenario, all hell breaks loose in the North Pole and they come and help me do a little damage control."

"Got it," said Benkei with another salute. "The Molinator flies away!" He turned back into a small light and flew off.

"Ginga," said Kyoya, going to his woozy elf, "where are they keeping everyone?"

"In Elf Jail," said Ginga as he shook his head, getting himself oriented properly. "If there was anywhere he'd put them all, it'd be there!"

"Elf… Jail…" Kyoya sighed, holding his head in his hand in frustration. "You think after almost ten years of this stuff I'd stop getting surprised." He let go, looking towards Ginga. "Lead the way." Ginga nodded, leading Kyoya through the building, going around the multiple Face Hunters stationed all around, before finally managing to get to the Elf Jail, where Yu, Kenta, Da Xiang, Yuki, Madoka, and several other elves were locked up.

"Ginga," called out Madoka, reaching her hands through the bars.

"Madoka!" He ran up to her, taking both of her hands. "He locked you up too?" She gave him a nod.

"Yeah. I refused to do maintenance on his Leone so he had me thrown in here."

"He took all of our Beys so we wouldn't threaten him," said Yuki, looking down. "This is all my fault. I never should've tried to make another Santa."

"Don't blame yourself too much," said Kyoya, looking at the lock. "I shouldn't have let you do it."

"Blame doesn't matter anymore," said Da Xiang. "What we need to focus on right now is getting rid of the toy Santa."

"Da Xiang's right," said Kenta. "Don't worry about us guys. We'll be fine until you take down the fake Kyoya."

"Watch out," said Yu, the only one looking past them to see the two Face Hunters come up behind them, hitting the two over the head and knocking them out.

* * *

When Kyoya and Ginga woke up, the toy Kyoya was standing over them with a smirk. The two were tied up with Christmas fabric ribbons, in Santa's office instead of the jail.

"Looks like Sleeping Beauty and Snow White woke up," he mocked.

"Let me go," Kyoya demanded, struggling against his bindings. "Let the elves go too!"

"You guys think you can get me to listen to you," he laughed out. "You're gonna be sorely disappointed."

"Why are you doing this," asked the real Kyoya. "Why are you hurting so many people?"

"Because you enjoyed it," the toy answered with a smirk, "and I enjoy it too."

"I didn't enjoy hurting people," said Kyoya. "It was a defense mechanism to deal with trauma and abuse! I haven't acted like that in over a decade!"

"I'm still not giving up," said the toy. "All of your precious little elves are canon fodder for my Leone, each battle helping me grow stronger and stronger!"

"You don't have to be cruel to be strong," shouted Ginga. "You don't have to destroy people in battles!"

"I don't care what you think," laughed Kyoya as he turned away. "All I care about is crushing my opponents." He walked out the doors, throwing them open dramatically.

"So I guess we're stuck here," said Kyoya with a sigh. "I never should've given this idea the okay."

"The only thing we can do right now is try and get out," said Ginga. "How sharp are those teeth of yours?"

"Biting through these?" Kyoya looked down at them. "I guess it's worth a shot." He bit down on the ribbons, tearing at them as hard as he could with some growling. After some hard work and effort, the ribbons finally started ripping apart. Kyoya smirked, spitting of the ribbon in his mouth and standing up. "Alright!"

"They stole my gear," said Ginga, feeling his pockets. "You?"

"They took mine too," said Kyoya. "I've still got Leone, but I don't have any gear."

"Well then," said Ginga with a smirk, turning towards Kyoya, "looks like you're getting your Christmas present early!"

* * *

The two had managed to sneak into Madoka's Beyblade workshop, which was completely unattended with Madoka being locked up. Ginga was riffling through the desk while Kyoya watched the door, making sure they wouldn't be snuck up on again.

"Madoka was working on a new kind of Launcher for you," said Ginga, "that let you use your mass to your advantage as Santa. It might not work as well while you're like this, but we can still try it!"

"A new Launcher?" Ginga nodded, smiling excitedly as he found it, pulling out a white and green Launcher.

"Here it is!" He handed it to Kyoya, who looked at it. It was a drawstring Launcher with a long grip, and the Bey Pointer integrated into it. The symbol for Leo was painted on it in green and yellow, with a star behind it.

"It's got a long grip on it," Kyoya noticed. "Let's see what this baby can do."

Toy Kyoya was cackling as he destroyed another elf opponent, who was in tears.

"I don't wanna fight anymore," cried the elf, surrounded by Face Hunters to keep the elf from escaping.

"Too bad." The toy pointed at him, glaring. "You're gonna keep fighting me, until your Bey is broken into tiny little pieces! Now pick up your Bey and fight me again!" The elf started crying, picking up his Bey and putting it in the Launcher. Kyoya smirked, grabbing his own Bey and getting ready to launch. "3-!"

"2…"

"1-!"

 _ **"Let it rip!"**_ Kyoya launched his Bey, and the little elf launched his. Before they could make contact, another Bey tore into the battle. The toy Kyoya looked around in hate and fury.

"Who interrupted my battle?!"

"I did!" He turned around and saw Kyoya and Ginga, glaring them down. "I'm ending your reign of terror once and for all! You're going back to the toy room and I'm getting rid of all of you!"

"You'll have to beat me in a battle first," growled out the toy. "It won't just be me though!" All the Face Hunters launched their Beys. "You'll have to beat all of us!"

"Kyoya, I can't help you," said Ginga. "I don't have Pegasis."

"Talking about this," asked one of the Face Hunter, smirking at Ginga as he carelessly tossed Pegasis up and down to Ginga's horror.

"PEGASIS!" Ginga growled angrily at the Face Hunter. "Put down the Beyblade!"

"With pleasure," said the Face Hunter, dropping it on the ground and stepping on it.

"You punk," Kyoya shouted, Leone heading right towards him. Toy Kyoya's Leone intercepted, with toy Kyoya glaring at him.

"This is a serious battle," he yelled. "Focus on your real opponents!" The real Kyoya growled, glaring at his copy.

"I hate me so much right now!" he became surrounded by all of the Face Hunters.

"Try anything and I'll smash this to pieces," threatened the Face Hunter with Ginga's Bey.

"Pegasis!"

"You dirty cheaters," accused Kyoya. "You can't become stronger like this!"

"But if I destroy your Bey," said toy Kyoya with a smirk, "then I get rid of my strongest threat!" He started cackling as the circle of Beys started closing in.

 _ **"CYCLONE LEONE!"**_

 _ **"STORM LEONESS!"**_

 _ **"GRAND WHITE CETUS!"**_

 _ **"SPIRAL LYRE!"**_

 _ **"DEATH QUETZALCOATL!"**_

Five spinning Beys descended from the sky, crashing into the Beys of the opponents. Everyone looked up and saw six people. Benkei was flying in, holding Mesujishi and Hope, while Sophie rode in on a cloud and Toby and Tithi flew down of his own power. The group of them landed on the ground, Benkei letting go of them as soon as he could to pull out his own Launcher.

 ** _"GO DARK BULL!"_** They all ran towards the group, with Storm Leoness striking the foot of the person stepping on Pegasis. The Bey then hit the stopped Bey, sending it into the relieved hand of Ginga.

"Pegasis!"

"How dare you try and destroy someone's Bey," seethed Hope, getting ready to run over and strangle to toy Face Hunter. Benkei came and hooked his arms under hers, holding her back. "When I get my hands on you I'm gonna tear you apart piece by plastic piece!"

"Calm down," said Benkei. "Wow you're strong!"

"We're here to help," said Sophie, walking towards Kyoya, holding out her staff as snow and ice swirled around her. "What do you need us to do? This is your territory."

"Get the elves," said Kyoya, glaring at the fake Santa. "He's all mine."

"We've got you," said Tithi. "Where are they?"

"Follow Ginga," he said, not taking his eyes off his seething opponent. "He knows where they are. Then help round up all the Face Hunters. Leave the big guy to me. He's all mine."

"I'll guard," said Mesujishi, her Bey circling around the other two. "I won't let anyone interfere with this battle!"

"I'm not going anywhere," said Hope, Benkei dropping her to the ground. She ran towards Kyoya as her Bey followed Mesujishi's Leone. "I may be a new Blader, but I'm not giving up!"

"She's definitely a keeper," said Toby with a smile. "We're gonna free the elves. Next time Santa, be honest with your people."

"Got it," said Kyoya. "Listen here pal, I'm the one and only Kyoya Tategami! I'm also the current Santa, and you're in my territory! Prepare to loose!"

"I'm gonna destroy you," screamed toy Kyoya, his Bey erupting into three twisting and turning tornados.

"You're gonna use my own move against me?!" Kyoya laughed, slamming right into the wind and attacking the Bey. The moment they connected, the winds disappeared. "That's rich! I know all of its weaknesses!"

"And I know all of your Leone's weaknesses," toy Kyoya shot back, his Bey tilting and hitting the underside of Kyoya's Bey to send it flying up into the air. Kyoya gave a small growl, watching his Bey land back on the ground, holding on. "We have the same Bey, the same power! You'll never be able to stop me!"

"I don't have to stop you totally," said Kyoya as his Leone attacked his opponent. "I just have to bring this battle to a draw!" The two Beys kept backing up and then charging back in, repeatedly attacking each other.

"You're gonna loose," laughed toy Kyoya. "My Bey is stronger than yours! You've had your Leone for years, while mine is brand new and at it's strongest!" The toy's Leone started sending Leone back with every attack. "You'll never beat me! Leone's in perfect condition! Not only that, but you've lost your power as Santa Claus, and I've got all of it! Face it Kyoya, I have every advantage over you and you're going to loose!" The real Kyoya growled, looking worried as Leone got pushed back.

 _"He's right,"_ Kyoya thought. _"Leone is an old Bey. His is brand new. As intense as Beyblade can be, it all falls back down to science, and he's got an advantage over me."_ The toy Kyoya's Leone rapidly attacked the real one, making the spin unstable. _"I need to figure out how to win here!"_

"You can do this Dad," said Mesujishi, catching Mesujishi's attention as he turned towards her. "I know you can! You're the strongest person I know! You're always there for me and anyone else who needs you! You never give up, and I know you won't now!"

"You're strong Kyoya," said Hope, putting a hand on his shoulder. He turned towards her, seeing her smile at him. "I've seen your battles. I've been a fan of Beyblade as long as I can remember! You've been one of my favorite Bladers to watch battle. The Japanese tournament, the World Championships, you've beaten everyone against all odds. If anyone can win this battle, it's going to be you!"

"You've got this Dad," said Mesujishi, putting her hand on his other shoulder. Kyoya couldn't help but smile, turning away from the two to glare at his opponent as he Leone started to push back.

"What?!" Toy Kyoya was in shock as the real Kyoya's Leone started to glow.

"You may have a newer Bey, and more power than me," said Kyoya as his spirit glowed brightly with the power of his Leone and his own magic as Hope glowed yellow and Mesujishi glowed blue, "but you'll never beat me!" He let out a yell as the three Leones erupted in light. The blue and yellow auras created by Storm Leoness and Cyclone Leone fed into Leone's own green energy, changing shape into a brand new and completely unseen before Beyblade. The Bey attacked toy Kyoya's Bey rapidly, almost completely unseen by either of them.

"It's an all new Bey," Mesujishi realized.

"You shouldn't have this kind of power," shouted toy Kyoya. "How is this possible?!"

"Nothing's impossible when you have the strength," Kyoya shot back. "Now crush him Leone!" Leone gave one last attack, striking hard against the fake Rock Leone before sending it flying high into the sky. When it came back down, the Bey had stopped spinning. All the elves cheered, knowing that the reign of terror of the fake Santa was at an end.

Kyoya, Hope, and Mesujishi all summoned their Beys back, with Hope turning towards Kyoya and jumping into his rather surprised arms.

"That was the most intense thing I've ever done," she said with a big smile up at him.

"What are you doing here anyway," he asked. "Last time I checked you thought I was insane."

"I convinced her," said Mesujishi. "I," she looked away, hand grabbing her forearm awkwardly. "I heard what you said to Ginga, about not wanting to be with someone who would make me unhappy. But Principle Song didn't make me unhappy, I just didn't like when she asked me about you because she was too right about why I was upset. I didn't like having her in my head like that. Plus I didn't want the sports programs cut because I thought that would mean less Bey Battles and I would see you less often."

"Lioness," he said as he let go of Hope, hugging his daughter tightly, "it's okay to ask me to talk to you more. But I shouldn't have put the burden of conversation on you. That's my fault. I'm sorry for doing that to you." He held her a little tighter. "And I'm sorry for not making you feel like you could trust me either. I'll always accept you no matter who you are. What you like or who you love doesn't matter one bit to me. All that matters is that you're happy." She tried not to cry, but a few tears slipped out.

"You're a sappy jerk," she joked, pulling away and wiping her eyes. "Now I think you have a proposal to get to."

"Proposal?" Hope frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't think I like where this is going."

"Is it too late to start the ceremonies," asked Sophie as she, Benkei, Toby, Tithi, Da Xiang, Yuki, Madoka, Kenta, Yu, and a few others came out.

"Wow, is this the girl," asked Yu, running up to Hope and walking around her with a smile. "She's really pretty Yoyo!"

"What's going on," asked Hope, looking around at everyone. "I don't like this. Why is everyone staring at me?"

"Da Xiang and Yuki explained everything," said Kenta, looking more towards Kyoya than anyone else. "We know why you left now. Next time, just leave. We'll be fine without you. We're not helpless you know."

"Kyoya." Hope glared at him, crossing her arms over her chest. "You have until the count of 3 to explain what's going on right now. 1-"

"Hold on," said Kyoya, "it's not that big of a deal. I mean," he started rubbing the back of his neck, looking away a bit, "I guess it is? Christ, I was never good at this stuff."

"Spit it out," said Madoka.

"Well," said Kyoya, sighing as his hand slipped off his neck, "I can't be Santa anymore. At least, not unless I find a Mrs. Claus. With every person who takes on the mantle of Santa Claus, they have to have a Mrs. Claus by their side."

"I see," she replied with a deadpan expression. "So is that why you asked me to go out for some noodles? You just, you needed a wife to keep your magic job as Santa."

"I didn't-" He started to get frustrated with himself, trying to figure out the right words. "I didn't ask you because I wanted to fulfill that stupid clause. I did it because," he gently took on of her hands, "I saw how strong and fierce you were. You had a fighting spirit, tough as nails. Not only that, but you genuinely cared about every kid in that school, and I can't think of a more caring woman to taking over this position." He dropped down on one knee. "I know that the time we've spent together is short, but we've known each other a long time, and I know it might sound like an impulse decision, but if I'm going to marry anyone, I want it to be you. Hope Song, will you marry me?"

"There's no pressure here," said Madoka with a smile.

"But if she doesn't then-" before Ginga could finish, Madoka elbowed him hard in the ribs.

"This is her choice," she said with a sharp glare at him. She looked at Hope, smiling again. "Just worry about what you think about this Hope. It's your choice."

"First of all," she started, "this whole idea is awful. I mean, requiring someone to have a wife to do a job? That's misogynistic and sexist on both ends. It treats me like an object to be won over instead of my own person, and not only that, but it's like whoever made this contract thinks that you can't function without a wife!" She pointed a finger in the air, starting to really get into her rant as everyone just stared at her. "Not only that, but it automatically excludes people who might not be attracted to women, not just gay men, but also aromantic people too! I mean, this whole things is stupid and I may be marrying you anyway, but I'm not going to rest until-"

"So you'll marry me," asked Kyoya, cutting off her rant as he stood up, to which she rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well obviously I'm going to," she said, "but I'm not done with my-"

"We can figure it out later," said Sophie with a small smile pointed at Kyoya that showed her approval. "For now, let's focus on getting the ceremony on!" She held her hands up in the air as light and ice formed around her hands, turning into a big book. She brought it down, smiling at Kyoya and Hope. "Now then, shall we do this?"

"Right now?!" Hope looked around frantically, blushing and starting to pace as she waved her hands around. "B-But my aunt isn't here, and I haven't found a dress, and-"

"Calm down," said Madoka, going over to her and smiling as she caught Hope's wrists. "We've got three more days. We can work out something!"

* * *

Inside the Santa Village, there were decorated white pews, with the pews tied with red ribbons on either side. At the front of the pews was a beautifully decorated ice arch that looked like it was made of glittering gems. Kyoya stood in front of Sophie where the groom normally stood, with Benkei, Toby, Da Xiang, and Ginga standing where there would normally be groomsmen. An elf started playing as the guests, really just Ai, Julian, Tithi, and other elves. First walked up Bella, throwing rose petals excitedly as she went up the aisle. Mesujishi, wearing a soft green bridesmaid's dress that ended at the knees, with a sweetheart neckline and a see-through, off the shoulder lacey detail sleeve. Following behind her was Madoka, wearing the same dress. Two more girls were there that Kyoya didn't recognize, but could easily be Hope's sisters.

Behind them was Hope herself, the beautiful blushing bride with a bouquet of roses and lilies. Her cheeks were rosy from the cold, but she was still stunning. Her hair had been mostly pulled back, with her bangs left to frame her face. She wore a silver tiara for her veil, the lacy veil covering her face, so Kyoya couldn't see any details beyond that. Her dress was also an off the shoulder lacy detail sleeve with a sweetheart neckline, but her dress had a corset style top, with the bottom puffed out like a royal dress. Most people would say she looked like a princess, but to Kyoya she looked like the most stunning and regal queen as she walked up the aisle.

The bridesmaids took their places as Hope stood in front of Kyoya. Hope handed her bouquet off to Madoka, turning back to Kyoya as he lifted her veil, his breath taken away at how beautiful she looked.

"Since this is just an informal ceremony," said Sophie with a smile, "I'll keep this short. Especially since two of our guests won't remember in the morning." She smiled at Hope's sisters, who now looked incredibly confused. "Against all odds, battles, a ticking clock, even themselves, Kyoya and Hope managed to find a place for themselves, for each other in their hearts. I've seen many people fall in and out of love over the years, but this relationship is truly unique. Hope is an incredible woman, a woman who never believed found room in her mind to embrace her whimsical side, and took a dive down into an adventure of a lifetime." She turned towards Kyoya. "And Kyoya, you are fierce and strong, and yet careful because you've been hurt before. Yet somehow, you found the strength to keep going and pursuing what you felt in your heart. You two are going to fight, and have disagreements, but your strong wills and your determination to make things work for the best will help you as you continue your lives together." She looked past them and towards the crowd. "If anyone thinks that these two should not be wed, them keep quiet please." A few people gave a small chuckle at that. "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride." Kyoya wrapped his arms around her, dipping her deeply as he kissed her. She threw her arms around him, smiling as she kissed him back.

As the two broke apart, Kyoya started to grow, getting bigger as his hair paled and his beard grew. Hope stepped back a bit and watched as he became Santa once again, smiling at him.

"I can't believe I just married father Christmas," she joked.

"Hey Hope," said one of her sisters, "what the f-"

"Time to sleep," said Toby, holding out his hand and blowing sand at the two sisters. The two fell asleep, starting to fall over before Benkei rushed over and grabbed them.

"God I wish I had more of that magic sand," said Hope wistfully.

"Well only Sandman can use it," said Kyoya, "and I haven't seen him in a while."

"So are you really Santa then," asked Bella as she ran up to Kyoya, with Ai and Julian standing behind her. Kyoya smiled and got down on one knee.

"Only if you can keep a secret," said Kyoya. "Can you keep the greatest secret in the world?"

"I can I can," Bella promised, hugging her uncle. "Thank you for telling me!"

"Now," said Hope with a smile, holding out her hand. "Now, I believe tomorrow is Christmas Eve?"

 **Song Of Hope: I know the ending is rushed but tonight I'm going to see family and I won't be back until AFTER Christmas. I may go back and edit this but MARRY CHRISTMAS BEYBLADE FANDOM!**


End file.
